Tewksbury committee honors Jamie Cutlas for decades of school advocacy

The Tewksbury School Committee opened its June 10 meeting with a remembrance of former committee member Jamie Cutlas, who died May 12. Colleagues and friends described a long record of volunteer leadership on school building campaigns, local advocacy for smaller class sizes and efforts to keep extracurricular programs affordable.

"Jamie was relentless," said Dennis Francis, recalling early organizing that pressed the district to lower class sizes. "He laid the foundation" for projects that still shape district classrooms, Francis added.

Speakers credited Cutlas with convening parents and community partners to win funding for new schools, chairing multiple building committees, and championing wages for support staff years before state mandates. Members noted his blend of policy focus and attention to the human side of decisions: "He always pushed us to see the human side of every decision," one committee member said.

Cutlas's family — including his wife, Maria, and several children and grandchildren — were invited forward to receive a commemorative plaque listing key accomplishments. The committee said the plaque is intended as a family keepsake, and speakers encouraged colleagues to carry forward his advocacy through continuing attention to classroom supports and program access.

The recognition preceded a night of additional awards and retiree honors; the committee said programmatic follow-ups originally championed by Cutlas will remain part of future agendas.