ONTONAGON — While it will not be the pomp and circumstance, or speeches from the stage, Ontonagon graduates will have a graduation ceremony. 

It will be in the form of a parade, and graduate introduction via an outdoor public address system at the school this Friday.

This announcement came during this month’s Ontonagon Area School District (OASD) Board meeting. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, this was the second meeting done via a tele-conference.

The majority of the meeting dealt with what the coronavirus has done to the financial struggles the state is having, which will manifest as a major reduction in the funds OASD receives.

“The COVID-19 shutdown has resulted in dropped state sales and income tax revenues. This is in numbers we have not seen since 1946,” said Superintendent/Principal Jim Bobula. “The state’s anticipated revenue loss between this year and next fiscal year is $6.28 Billion.”

Bobula told the board that indicators are that the School Aid Fund (SAF) is significantly out of balance for the current fiscal, the next fiscal year, and the following year.

“On paper, the SAF is out of balance by about $900 per pupil for the current year.”

Bobula stated that under the formula and how proration works, “using that process we are looking at roughly $650 to $700 per pupil for this current year. These numbers hold true absent any federal dollars or changes to state spending.”

He stated that reductions for next year are unknown at this point. What is known, providing the state does not keep schools closed next year, is that the first day of school will be Aug. 25, last day will be June 4.

The annual public hearing on the 2020-2021 budget will be on June 29 at 5:30 p.m.

One area of spending that Bobula said is misunderstood is where the money is coming from for the food for area children that are not students of the OASD.

“While the district provides meals to our students, as we would have during ‘normal operation,’ the federal government is providing funding for EBT/Bridge cards for all students in our district,” said Bobula. “The students of OASD qualify for these benefits because of the district’s percentage of free and reduced population.”

The OASD will be providing the National Guard with the use of the locker room facilities, showers, and gymnasium while they are working and training at the Porcupine Mountain State Park. This will take place from Friday until June 13.

This training was a topic of last Wednesday’s Michigan DNR Western U.P. Citizens Advisory Council virtual meeting.  Doug Rich, U.P. Director of Parks and Recreation stated that this cooperative venture between the 107th Engineering Battalion and the DNR has been in the works for a number of years.

Bobula stated that the National Guard’s use of the school’s facilities will be breaking down into smaller groups and following the rules of COVID-19. 

In other news, the OASD and Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District will be providing wi-fi hot-spots on Mondays and Wednesdays in Mass City from 8:30-10:30a.m., Rockland from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and in White Pine from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Call the school for the specific location if you are interested in using the service.

The board approved the hiring of Brian Amos as the driving instructor for this summer. If needed, the board will hire an additional instructor. Cost for in-district students will be $350 for Segment 1, and $50 for Segment 2. The rate for out-of-district students will be $425 for the first segment and $50 for the second. A non-refundable deposit of $50 will be required prior to the first classroom session in order for the student to participate in the program.

The board is advertising for bids for lawn care services. Bids are due by June 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the business office.