Meet School Committee Ward 3 Candidate: Christopher O’Neil

Name: Christopher O’Neil

Seat: Ward 3 School Committee

Education: , Providence College

Christopher O’Neill grew up in nearby Mansfield, but his grandparents lived in Attleboro and his parents grew up in the city as well. As a result, he spent much of his time growing in Attleboro.

“As a kid we always came to Attleboro to do everything,” says O’Neil.

O’Neil also attended and graduated form the local before moving on to Providence College where he received a degree in English literature.

O’Neil currently works in stage and production management, working for Trinity Repertory Company and Brown University, where he also has an adjunct lectureship position.

Offerings

O’Neil’s experience as an adjunct professor gives his insight as to the difficulties teachers can face at all levels.

“I know what it takes to run classes and schools. It’s hard work,” O’Neil said. “The people work hard to the system running. The tough thing is keeping the good people.”

O’Neill also spent six years as a member of the city’s Cultural Council which he feels gives him the experience needed to work in a committee setting. Additionally, his work in the theater industry involved working with people with differing opinions and priorities.

“Most of the work I’ve done is committee work. In the theater and education, people get very defensive of their opinions. Your conversation gets heated, but it shouldn’t get unprofessional.”

Issues That Matter

“Right now one of the biggest issues facing the school committee is the school committee,” said O’Neil.

The school committee has often seen infighting and the occasional outburst of frustration from members during meetings, include accusations that chair Ray DiCiaccio “censored” the agenda as well as an attempt to remove him from his position.

“It doesn’t have to be like that. There can be disagreements, but at the end of the day there needs to be respect,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil says there are a lot of personal conflicts on the committee now and meetings often waste time on these personal matters rather than focus on the issues at hand.

A key issue for O’Neil is the implementation of full-day kindergarten for all students in the district.

“We should shoot for our kids to be able to read going into first grade,”  O’Neil said.

O’Neil also wants to look into renovating the facilities in the district, particularly . However he knows that such projects are expensive.

Additionally O’Neil wants to ensure balance in the district’s education that places a lot of focus on standardized testing scores. He wants to make sure students learn about the arts and are able to “learn for the sake of learning” rather than in preparation of a test.