BUTTE — After the general election, voters here in Butte-Silver Bow County put their trust in Jim O’Neill, who has been serving as the Butte School District No. 1 curriculum director. Now, he says he’s excited to step into the county superintendent role that serves both city and rural schools in the county.
"I’m just incredibly humbled and proud and excited to get started. I promise the community of Butte that no one will work harder for kids than I will," says O’Neill.
On a recent weekday afternoon, O'Neill carries a box full of homework to an elementary school. He is meeting with students chosen for the annual Hall of Fame education competition that he created while working as an educator in the early 2000s.
Among his many goals as the county superintendent, O'Neill hopes to expand the competition to rural schools in Ramsay, Melrose, and Divide.
"When you have public education, you’re going to educate everyone and provide a free and appropriate public education for them and I’m passionate about it. I’ve seen who comes out of really difficult situations that have gone on to do incredible things in their lives and without public schools. That opportunity may not have been afforded to those children," says O'Neill.
O'Neill says his main goals include re-establishing a committee of community leaders to address issues facing children like suicide, mental health, and substance abuse. He also wants to establish an apprenticeship program for students interested in learning a trade, and grant writing will also be part of his mission as the county superintendent.
He passes out about 20 packets with study materials ranging from the periodic table to literature, math facts, and facts about Montana's Native America Tribes. He encourages the fourth graders telling them first they may have a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to math but he urges them not to give up.
"Kids give me energy, just being around the kids. Giving out the Hall of Fame packets, I just get a buzz off it. There’s not a more important profession on the planet than education. It’s the profession that makes all other professions possible and we really need to support public education."
