BRUNSWICK

If Brunswick High School’s class of 2015 wants a graduation ceremony on par with 2014, the incoming seniors will have to find a way to pay for it. The Brunswick School Board on Wednesday voted unanimously to cap the district’s share of graduation cost at $10,000.

The 2014 graduation ceremony held June 6 cost around $17,800, according to Superintendent Paul Perzanoski. The school board had budgeted a cost of $21,000 for that ceremony.

The school board had budgeted $33,000 for the class of 2015’s graduation ceremony, in anticipation of costs incurred due to moving the date of Brunswick graduation further from Bowdoin College’s graduation date in order to comply with state law.

It was that rising cost of graduation that raised a number of eyebrows on the board as well as in the community.

Graduation has been held at Bowdoin College’s Watson Arena, which is set up as a backup inclement weather site for the col- lege’s own ceremony.

The $33,000 included $11,250 for a sound system, $8,946 for other audio/visual equipment and a $3,340 chair rental fee, costs that are split with the college, which uses them for its ceremony.

The school board this year voted to move the date of graduation back in order to comply with state law. That meant the school district would likely have to completely cover the costs normally split with the college.

The $10,000 cap, contingent on the outcome of future discussions over the sharing of equipment cost with Bowdoin, is a way to cover the basic costs of holding the ceremony at the college, according to William Thompson, the board member who made the motion to cap the cost. It does not, however, cover items such as audio visual equipment and chair rental.

“That’s just a lot of money for a speaker system and a large TV,” said board member Jim Grant, during a lengthy discussion.

According to Thompson, the class of 2015 can fundraise or charge admission to the ceremony, or do a combination of both, to make up the difference.

Setting a cap allows students, parents and the community “to figure out what the priorities are, above and beyond what they’re getting from us,” said Thompson.

Class of 2015 Treasurer Sarah Judd said she was concerned about the additional burden placed on her class. About $7,300 has been raised by the class over three years, which has been allocated for the prom. Raising additional funds for the graduation ceremony within this year may be difficult.

Brunswick’s graduation costs are more than other districts, “but I think we have the best graduation,” Judd said.

The total cost to Brunswick in renting space at the college is $1,225 to $1,300. Bowdoin College previously indicated to the board that it “does not intend to increase the costs for the graduation ceremony in Watson Arena next year. The costs we pass on primarily cover staffing.”

Perzanoski presented information comparing Brunswick’s cost of high school graduation with other comparable school districts in the region. Those districts included, on the lower end, South Portland, which spent $3,000 on its graduation held on its football field or in its gymnasium. On the other end of the spectrum was MSAD 6, which spent $12,000 for the Bonny Eagle High School graduation at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

Brunswick, by far, spent more than the other, comparable districts.

As of Aug. 6, community sentiment appeared in favor keeping graduation at Bowdoin College, according to correspondence received by the district. Of 30 correspondence received by the district on the topic, 27 were in favor of keeping graduation at the college, including five staff members, seven students and 15 members of the community. Three community members indicated they were opposed to the cost.

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com

SUPERINTENDENT PAUL Perzanoski presented information comparing Brunswick’s cost of high school graduation with other comparable school districts in the region. Those districts included, on the lower end, South Portland, which spent $3,000 on its graduation held on its football field or in its gymnasium. On the other end of the spectrum was MSAD 6, which spent $12,000 for the Bonny Eagle High School graduation at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.