District staff recommended that Moline Coal Valley School District 40 move high school commencement back to Sunday after a trial Friday-night ceremony at Vibrant Arena produced late starts, long lines and other logistical problems. Dr. Seth Savage and a district staff member identified only as Chris presented a debrief to the board on Aug. 11 and asked for board guidance.

The presentations summarized the arrangement made with Vibrant Arena: if Vibrant did not have a six-figure booking by Feb. 20, the district could take the Friday night; if Vibrant booked by that date the district would be bumped to Sunday. "We thought we would try it," Savage said, describing the district’s effort to test a Friday-night commencement. Chris told the board the experiment exposed several difficulties, including a very late start, concurrent events that made parking and entry difficult, long concession lines and concerns about sound.

Why it matters: staff said the Friday date resulted in higher costs and logistical stress for students, families and staff and created problems for keepsake graduation invitations. Chris said February 20 was "too late for our invitation" provider to print a date-specific invitation, leaving families with invitations that listed only the month and year. The presenters estimated that returning to a shared Sunday date with neighboring districts would save "more than $10,000," because the cost would be split between districts that use the same slot.

Staff described other impacts beyond cost: seniors had rehearsal during the day and commencement the same evening, leading to a long, stressful day for students and staff; families traveling from out of state reported scheduling difficulty; and lines outside the venue left attendees waiting in heat. "It's my personal recommendation that you consider moving back to a Sunday," Savage said.

Board members who spoke during the discussion offered mostly supportive comments. One board member, identifying themselves as new to the board, called the ceremony "incredibly inspirational" despite the delays. Another member said the breakup of the holiday weekend is inconvenient but acceptable if it improves logistics and consistency. The presenters noted Vibrant Arena has other districts seeking the Sunday date, and said holding two dates appears increasingly unlikely.

There was no formal motion or vote; staff asked for opinions and said they would follow up with Vibrant. Chris said the district will seek clearer communications protocols with the venue — Vibrant agreed to contact Chris directly about any changes — and staff will continue discussions about locking in dates with the other districts that share the arena.

The board discussion also touched on alternatives the district considered, such as weekday ceremonies, and the presenters said they wanted to remain sensitive to family travel needs. No formal schedule change was adopted at the meeting.