Shippensburg board delays move of graduation to new stadium amid cost and logistics concerns

The Shippensburg Area School District Board of Directors on June 22 heard a detailed presentation on the operational, safety and cost implications of moving the high school graduation ceremony to the district’s new stadium and agreed to delay any move until staff return with a full plan.

High school principal Blake Fritz told the board that staging graduation at the stadium would require substantial preparation and resources, including an estimated 25 additional personnel for tech, facilities, custodial, transportation, security and event staff. Fritz also presented itemized cost estimates: a purchased platform (~$12,500), roughly 600 turf‑safe chairs (~$20,000), storage racks and plywood, and a new perimeter fence that the administration estimated at about $100,000–$109,000. Fritz gave two overall scenarios: about $151,000 if the fence and all items are purchased and roughly $42,000 without the fence, plus recurring overtime and tech costs. She said those figures were estimates provided to the board to illustrate scale and tradeoffs between renting equipment versus buying it outright.

“This is not something we can…push further on. We need to make a decision pretty soon,” Fritz said, urging the board to allow staff time to develop a full operational plan that addresses storage, staffing, parking and contingencies.

Board members focused on three practical risks: weather (heat and thunderstorms in late spring), sightlines and sun angles that could force a morning or afternoon start, and the logistics of parking and shuttle service for families. Graduation advisor Sharon Lawrence reminded the board that indoor venues give families a firm date and accessibility features and noted that the district’s longstanding practice has been to provide four to six tickets per graduate and livestreaming for overflow.

Fritz presented rental versus purchase tradeoffs: a first‑year rental estimate of about $17,855 with recurring rental-year costs she estimated near $14,139, versus higher upfront purchase costs that would reduce per-year expenses thereafter but create storage, security and maintenance demands. She recommended that the district not rush and proposed a phased approach; at one point she said she would “at least like to defer it to the class of 2028” to allow adequate planning time.

Directors agreed with the need for more analysis. The board asked administration to return to the next meeting with the Lores Center contract information and a plan that compares renting to purchasing, outlines a weather‑contingency process, specifies staffing and storage needs, and includes realistic cost estimates and a proposed timeline.

The board did not vote to change the graduation site at this meeting; it placed the matter on the next agenda as an action item so trustees can consider a staff recommendation after the requested work is completed.

What happens next: District staff will prepare and present a written plan and contract options at the next public board meeting, including a recommended decision date tied to weather contingencies and an itemized cost comparison of rental versus purchase options.