Published in the May 4, 2017 edition

By DAN TOMASELLO

NORTH READING — Cliff Bowers closed the book on his nine-year tenure on the School Committee Monday, as the current school board chairman attended his last meeting.

Bowers announced earlier this year that he would not be running for a fourth term. During Monday’s meeting, his colleagues on the School Committee paid tribute to his level headed leadership. The school board also presented Bowers with a decorative glass bowl that recognized the outgoing chairman’s dedication to North Reading students.

School Committee member Julie Koepke thanked Bowers “for your nine years of service” on the committee.

“I appreciate the work you have done with the Suburban Coalition as you have represented us and our thoughts on the $2 billion dollars the state is shortchanging us,” said Koepke. “I wish you continued relaxation in your retirement.”

School Committee member Janene Imbriano echoed Koepke’s point of view.

“You have been very beneficial to not only us members, but the town has a whole,” said Imbriano. “Someone is going to have big shoes to fill.”

School Committee Vice Chairman Jerry Venezia said it’s been a “pleasure” to serve with Bowers the past nine years.

“You are considerate, thoughtful and fair,” said Venezia. “With every decision you have made, you have been an absolute gentleman throughout the process. You have always listened to other people’s ideas before making a decision, and you have been a tireless worker on behalf of the students of North Reading.”

Venezia said Bowers “did great work on the Policy Subcommittee.” He said Bowers played a key role on the Secondary Schools Building Committee (SSBC) as well.

“You have been on (the SSBC) since day one,” said Venezia. “Your experience was invaluable in building these two schools. I am certainly glad your name is on both plaques because it belongs there. You have done a great job. With the budget, you worked to get every dollar we could from the town. We are going to miss you.”

Superintendent of Schools Jon Bernard thanked Bowers for going above and beyond to help the school system move forward.

“I want to thank you for your support of the children in this district,” said Bernard. “Those of us who worked closely with you know how hard you worked, how much time you dedicated and how much thought you gave to doing the right thing for children. We saw it behind the scenes, but a lot of people saw it out in front. Your contributions to this school district will be felt long after these nine years.”

While School Committee member Mel Webster was not present at the meeting, he sent the following statement to the Transcript via Facebook message.

“It has been a great pleasure serving with Cliff during the past nine years and I was extremely sorry I had to miss his final meeting,” said Webster. “From his excellent work on the Secondary Schools Building Committee to his tireless efforts working to find more state money for school budgets, Cliff has been a tremendous asset for North Reading residents. Cliff was always fair and always even-tempered. He also was an incredibly dedicated member of the committee. I will miss having Cliff on the committee, but I know he won’t disappear and will always be there to lend a hand if necessary.”

Bowers thanks colleagues

Bowers thanked his colleagues for their support over the past nine years.

“I wished I had be able to do it earlier so I could have been on longer,” said Bowers. “It’s been an interesting experience. I believe in education more than anybody. Education is what makes the world go round, and we do a very good job in this town. I am very proud of that.”

Bowers said he’s pleased the school system has progressed over the course of the past nine years.

“I have enjoyed the growth that has occurred,” said Bowers. “When I first ran, it was because we were in a financial disaster. We had to close things down Wednesday afternoons, and I said that is crazy. I thought there was some way to make the system more efficient, so I ran. When I came in, I sat down with (former School Business Manager) Carl Nelson. I started hitting him with questions, and he answered them. I realized that we ran a very efficient shop and it wasn’t we wanted to spend all of the revenue we could get. We spend up to that, but the revenue presses down on what we can do. It’s unfortunate.”

Bowers said he tried his best over the course of his nine-year tenure to get more state funds for education, but said the state continues to “shortchange us.”

“I remember my first year writing a letter to the governor and suggested he increase the Sales Tax by a penny, and dedicate it all to schools and distribute it completely on the basis of per student,” said Bowers. “None of the formula stuff. Well, it turns out he raised it a penny and a quarter a year later and we never saw any of it.”

Bowers said he worked with a variety of different organizations that pushed for more state funding including the North Shore Coalition of School Funding, Suburban Coalition, Stand for Children and the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC). He recently urged State Rep. Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley), the chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Education, to implement recommendations to overhaul the Chapter 70 education formula.

“I spent a fair amount of effort on it because it was the right thing to do,” said Bowers about his efforts to push for more state aid.

In closing, Bowers said he “appreciated all of the kind words” said by his colleagues.

“I have said that if the new people who come in the next couple of years don’t do the right thing, I will come back out of retirement,” Bowers joked. “Thank you all and thank you for the opportunity to serve.”

After Bowers concluded his remarks, he was given a round of applause and a standing ovation from the meeting’s attendees.