Somerset — SOMERSET — The search is over: Steve Butcher will be taking over as superintendent of Pulaski County Schools in July.

Butcher, current assistant superintendent was chosen Wednesday by members of Pulaski County School Board. He was among three candidates who submitted applications for the head position over the area’s largest school system.

Butcher will inherit the job currently held by Tim Eaton, who announced in January that he will be stepping down at the end of June after 10 years at the helm of the school system.

Under Eaton’s watch, the Pulaski County School System has grown and flourished, moving up the ladder academically. Case in point, the district went from an academic score of 60 up to 92 — a significant improvement in terms of ranking Pulaski County in the state hierarchy; it’s now in the top 17 percent of districts in the state academically.

Those are big shoes for Butcher to fill, and although he knows it, he’s up for the task.

“Mr. Eaton has done a marvelous job,” said Butcher. “Not only has he been a great leader, he’s been a great friend to me. Under his leadership, this district has progressed quite nicely. I’ve been a part of that process, which will help me a lot in the coming years.”

Butcher said that while things are good for the school district, there are still “things we can work on,” and he has a vision of what he’d like to see take place in the future to boost test scores and further improve the 13 elementary, middle, and high schools.

“One of the things that I want to take a hard look at is our middle schools,” said Butcher. “What I would like to do is look at (those) schools and see what we can do to enhance our gifted kids to get them ready for (high school) AP courses, and move them on toward the college and workplace (readiness) where they need to be.”

In late March, the school board named its three finalists for the superintendent job, chosen from among eight applicants in a nationwide search. Butcher was one of that troika, which also included Carol Christian, District Achievement Gap Coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education, and G. Douglas Roberts, former principal at Southwestern High School, and current principal in the Bullitt County School System.

Pulaski Board Chairman Bill White said that Butcher was selected from among the three because of his experience dealing with the unique needs of a school system as large as Pulaski County.

“In our evaluation of the material we had (on all three candidates), we felt that he was further along in his experience, and more knowledgeable about a school district of our size and the issues he would face, from physical matters to personnel to transportation,” said White.

When asked if Butcher’s familiarity with Pulaski County Schools in particular helped, White said, “Yes, definitely.”

Butcher himself calls that advantage a “huge” one.

“Almost every facet of what goes on in our district, I had my hand on it in one way or another,” said Butcher, “from transportation to mechanical maintenance to food service. It’s big what this job has meant for me toward being a superintendent.”

Butcher, a native of Russell County, got his start teaching and coaching at Mason County High School in 1975. He moved to Casey County in the early ‘80s, where he rose to the ranks of principal at Casey County Middle School and Director of Pupil Personnel in the school system. After a short stint in Dallas, Texas with Excel Communications, Butcher returned to his Bluegrass roots in 1998, taking the job of principal at Eubank Elementary School.

In 2001, Butcher was named as Assistant Superintendent of Pulaski County Schools, an umbrella under which he wears several hats: personnel director, director of the transportation department, director of facilities and operations, and Title IX coordinator.

All of those responsibilities would ideally make for a well-rounded superintendent, something which White suggested the district will need to continue thriving in a turbulent educational landscape.

“We’re looking for continued success in our academic achievement,” said White. “We’re concerned because of the state of affairs with funding that the state is having, so we’re going to work those things out and stay on a sound basis.”

Butcher has a B.S. in Industrial Technology from Western Kentucky University, a Masters Degree in Counseling from Morehead State University, and received Rank I Administration status from Eastern Kentucky University. He has served on the executive board of the Somerset-Pulaski County Development Foundation, board of directors for the Kentucky School Plant Managers Association, board of directors for Eagles Nest County Club, and board of directors for the United Way.

The board named Butcher as its selection in a special meeting on Wednesday after a brief closed session for discussion, and authorized permission to enter into contract negotiations.

Board member Olivia Minton tried to nominate Dan Price, principal at Pulaski Central, for the job, but the motion died for lack of a second.

Butcher is pleased to have made his home in Pulaski County, “a wonderful place to bring up your kids,” and looks forward to helping make it even better as the school district’s top man.

“I’m excited that the process is over with; it seems like it’s been going on for a long time,” said Butcher. “I’m excited about leading this district. We’ve got a very good district, and we’ve got to continue with that. It’s all about our kids, and getting good people in place to take care of our kids.”