$81.05.

That is how much the Brunswick school district spent per graduate on its 2014 graduation ceremony at Bowdoin College’s Watson Arena in June. When break down the cost of the ceremony by how long it took — 1 hour, 15 minutes, according to BHS Principal Peter Dawson — it is $237.76 per ceremony minute.

The total price tag for the event was $17,831.85, $3,032.15 less than the district had budgeted for the event. So there’s a silver lining in an extremely costly cloud, it was cheaper than it could have been. We should point out that only $1,245 of that cost was billed by Bowdoin, covering arena rental, event staff, parking management, and set-up and removal expenses for the audio visual equipment. A breakdown of the rest of the too-high price tag is:

— $5,625 for lights and sound equipment (that’s half the total cost of the equipment, the school district split the cost with Bowdoin)

— $3,870.55 for video/cameras/large screen/recording of the ceremony (again, that is half of the divvied up cost with the college)

—$3,103.64 for diplomas and honor cords

— $1,670 for chair rental (another item split with Bowdoin)

— $1,512 to the Town of Brunswick for a police detail

— $495 for professional interpreting (someone to translate in sign language)

— $200.66 for program covers

— $110 for batons

After the high cost was reported last month, it apparently produced enough of an outcry that the school board decided it needed to reconsider how much it would spend. At its meeting this week, the board determined it would cap its graduation spending at $10,000, about a third of what they’d planned to budget and $1,000 less than the increases anticipated as a result of not sharing costs with Bowdoin. It should also be noted that the cap is contingent on the outcome of future discussions over the sharing of equipment cost with Bowdoin.

Great, right?

Well, the problem is that $10,000 doesn’t include the cost of AV equipment and chair rental. And — and this is an even bigger issue — the district is still expecting to have the ceremony at Bowdoin.

There are so many reasons being given for not having the ceremony at BHS, including lack of room for all of the guests attending and not enough parking. We can consider those. Complaints about heat, wind and bugs do not produce any sympathy.

In terms of the space issue, it is clear that BHS could not handle the reported 3,200 people packed into Watson Arena for this year’s ceremony. The most the high school could handle would be 3,027 if it takes place outside; 1,400 if it’s done inside. But maybe the district should think about limiting the number that can attend. Last year, the break down was 14.5 people per every graduate.

We’re not trying to rain on the graduates’ parade here — they deserve a nice ceremony and a way to be recognized for their accomplishments. But the board really needs to think about what it means to make tough choices.

And that means thinking about ways other than throwing the tab on the backs of those who will graduate in 2015 and their parents with less than a school year to go.

Moving the ceremony to Brunswick High School would allow the district to find its own vendors — perhaps some local businesses would be willing to donate their equipment or services, or offer them at a reduced price. Use underclassmen to help with setup and removal; students taking sign language could provide translation services. Check with local organizations and churches to see if they’d be willing to loan out their chairs for the ceremony.

The district officials talk about how graduation is really a community event, but the only way they look to the community to be a part of it is through their wallets. If you want to make it about community, ask the community for help.

By moving the ceremony to BHS, it would also limit the number of people who could attend. That’s unfortunate. But it’s not the end of the world. Other schools give their graduates a certain number of tickets for graduation. Some want more, some need less — and that usually shakes out well enough in the end.

School leaders talk about instilling problem solving and critical thinking skills in our children, yet the board is missing out on an extremely teachable moment to show the students how to do just that.