By: Shea O’Malley
OSWEGO – The Oswego City School District Board of Education held its monthly meeting tonight, Monday, June 1, with Oswego Senior Class Advisor Tami Palmitesso discussing graduation plans with the board.
Palmitesso laid out a proposal for a feasible graduation ceremony that would meet all the social distancing requirements while giving students an engaging graduation ceremony in light of COVID-19 restrictions.
Key aspects that were important to students were keeping the same graduation date, June 27, and a ceremony that included their name called while walking across the stage.
“We really want to give that to the kids,” Palmitesso said. “Their name called, walking across the stage; that’s their big moment that they want.”
Palmitesso said the graduation will be held at the Oswego Middle School. Students liked the idea of the outdoor backdrop at the school, and ease of vehicle access to get in and out.
Also included in the graduation plans are two commencement ceremonies, one beginning at 9 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m.
Parents and students will have designated parking areas with numbers for each student to display in vehicle windows.
Parents will drive up to an outdoor stage-set, allowing seniors out to walk the stage, receive their diplomas and have pictures taken. All professional photos will be digital downloads and will be free of charge.
The ceremony will be live streamed, and pre-recorded speeches will be broadcast before the graduation ceremony begins.
Other items discussed were upcoming budget projections for next year, including a drop in school taxes for the 2020-21 budget.
Goewey discussed estimations for the upcoming year; the tax rate dropping from $20.19 to $16.80 per thousand dollars, resulting in a difference of $3.39 per thousand dollars.
Goewey went on to discuss the operational school budget for the upcoming year, with several reductions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Absentee mail-in ballots were also talked about. Goewey directed all voters to go to the district website for information on absentee mail-in absentee voting.
The full agenda of the meeting can be found here.
All BOE meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month.
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