Incumbent Seeks Return to 7th District State Board of Education

Saturday morning's parade was a time for the community to get excited about a full day of Oktoberfest, children getting their bags of candy and a candidate to meet and greet the voters of Sidney and Cheyenne County.

After the parade, Robin Stevens, candidate for District 7 Nebraska Board of Education, met with the Sidney -Sun-Telegraph.

Robin Stevens, incumbent for the Nebraska Board of Education, and Elizabeth Tegtmeier, are on the General Election ballot for District 7 for the Nebraska Board of Education. Stevens was in Sidney Saturday during the parade, meeting voters and passing out business cards explaining his position on some of the issues facing the state.

He was first elected to the Nebraska Board of Education in 2018, taking office in 2019. He replaced Molly O'Holleran. O'Holleran was elected as a non-partisan member of the board, representing District 7, in 2010.

Prior to his election to the Board of Education, Stevens accumulated about 40 years of experience in public education. He said he has worked as a teacher, a coach, worked his way into administration including principal and then superintendent. Most of his experience is in the North Platte and surrounding area, he said. He also grew up in the 7th District.

He decided to pursue the seat on the State Board because it felt like a good fit.

“When I retired,” he said, “I still had a strong desire to serve. People said, 'Robin, this seems like a natural place to serve.'”

His experience as a teacher has helped in serving on the State Board of Education, he said. The assets of how a teacher manages a classroom, conflict and goal-setting proved to be a help.

“One thing you do [as a teacher, coach], is look for solutions,” he said.

He added he has even found challenges to be rewarding.

“It's what I do, and I think I do it well,” he said.

On his campaign website, he describes his life as about “faith, family and giving back through work and service.”

“For me, I dedicated my life to kids. Being a successful leader for kids has at its foundation the ability to build relationships rather than tear them down,” he says on his website.

He has three primary goals if he returns to the Board of Education: 1. encourage more Nebraskans to become teachers, 2. continue to expand early childhood opportunities in rural schools, and 3. provide an environment where every child feels safe and cared for.

He stressed he is one member of the board, and any successes need to be credited to the board.

Of the issues, he said on his website “the controversial health standards have been postponed indefinitely.” He also stressed that history is, and must be, fact-based, not a discussion of ideologies and divisive theories.

He almost coined Charles Dickins (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times) in talking about the pandemic. He said for all of the trials and unexpected obstacles, educators found creative ways to teach. He gives local school boards credit for getting kids in the classroom safely. He said Nebraska overall has kept the loss of learning at a minimum.

“I think we've kept kids as safe as we can,” he said.

He also talked about creativity in the classroom, noting that some students do not fit into the traditional approach to education. He said if there's an expansion in secondary education that needs to continue, it is vocational.

Stevens said the function of the state board of education is to hire a good commissioner of education. The commissioner then oversees the department of education.