Brunswick High School officials hope they can raise enough money to help fund graduation ceremonies next year at Bowdoin College.

They’ll have to come up with $17,000 after the school board put a $10,000 cap on graduation expenses.

School officials estimated last week that the cost of graduation ceremonies for 2015 would be $27,000 because Brunswick High won’t be able to share expenses with Bowdoin as it usually does.

Since 2010, the high school has held its graduation ceremonies at Bowdoin’s Sidney J. Watson Arena on the same weekend as the college’s alumni weekend – the first weekend in June – helping reduce expenses by sharing equipment rentals and cleanup costs, Superintendent Paul Perzanoski said. But when school officials realized that alumni weekend next year would occur too early for high school graduation, the cost of putting on the ceremony spiked from $16,500 to $27,000, he said.

State regulations require graduations to be held within five days after the end of school. The last day of senior final exams for Brunswick will be Tuesday, June 9, 2015, and graduation will be held three days later.

The increase in cost prompted Brunswick’s school board to set the $10,000 cap.

Though Brunswick could save money by changing facilities, holding the ceremony at Bowdoin is a tradition that students want to continue, Perzanoski said. Brunswick is the only high school to hold graduation ceremonies at the college, Bowdoin spokesman Doug Cook said.

To make up the extra $17,000 needed to pay for the ceremony at Bowdoin, Brunswick plans to try to save money by budgeting more tightly for the sound system, printing and other expenses. The school hopes to cover the remaining costs, estimated at about $9,000, through fundraising.

Perzanoski isn’t sure how realistic it is for students and parents to raise the remaining funds because it’s never been done before, but the school will help cover the costs as much as it can.

“We have to try and make it right for the kids,” Perzanoski said.

By contrast, graduations for most other area high schools cost less than $8,000.

Deering High School, which held its 2014 graduation ceremony for 215 students at the Cumberland County Civic Center, said the school spent about $7,434, including the costs of the facility, diplomas and printing.

Julie Evans, a secretary at Deering High, said that in previous years, the school saved some money by holding the ceremony at the Portland Expo or Merrill Auditorium in Portland, but with limited seating students weren’t able to invite more than a few relatives and friends.

Deering’s students voted on where they would prefer to hold their graduation ceremony, and the civic center won because students wouldn’t have to worry about a limited number of tickets, Evans said. Though the civic center is more expensive to rent, at about $4,788, the school saves money by not having to rent chairs, sound equipment or a backdrop.

Portland High School spent less than $8,000 on its 2014 graduation at Merrill Auditorium, according to David Galin, the school district’s chief academic officer.

Falmouth High School, which also holds its graduation ceremonies at Merrill Auditorium, spends from $6,800 to $7,000 on graduation each year, including diploma and printing costs.

High schools that host their graduation ceremonies outdoors or on school grounds also spend much less than schools that hold their ceremonies at outside locations.

Cape Elizabeth saves money by holding the ceremony at Fort Williams Park, which does not charge a rental fee, or at the high school if the weather is bad. The high school spent about $5,325 in 2014, according to Jeanne Grant, an administrative assistant in the guidance office.

The costs for Cape Elizabeth’s graduation included diplomas and covers, flower arrangements, sound systems, chairs, a canopy, police assistance, honors cords and medals for the top students, Grant said. The parent-teacher association also helps cover some expenses, such as flowers for the graduates. The students pay for caps and gowns themselves.

Biddeford High School had some of the lowest 2014 graduation costs, and spends about $1,500 on graduation each year, Principal Jeremie Sirois said. Biddeford holds graduation at Waterhouse Field or the high school if it rains. The costs can fluctuate, depending on class funds, because Biddeford students buy their own flowers and caps and gowns. Still, Biddeford’s costs are “considerably lower” than other high schools, Sirois said.

Chelsea Diana can be contacted at 791-6337 or at:

cdiana@pressherald.com

Twitter: ChelseaDiana_

Copy the Story Link