Three candidates will appear on the May 10 primary ballot for the office of 7th District Representative of the Nebraska State Board of Education. This is a Nebraska State Constitutional Office. The 7th District is made up of the western half of the State, plus counties in the North Central and South Central areas of the State - including Dawson and Custer Counties. In an effort to inform our readers we are providing the following biographies submitted by the three candidates.

ROBIN STEVENS - INCUMBENT

For over 26 years, my wife and I have called Gothenburg home. This is where we raised our family, and this is where we returned upon retirement. Upon retirement from 40 years in education, I wanted to give back to the profession. In 2018 I was honored to be elected to the State Board – 7ith District. Being a member of the State Board has given me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of all Nebraskans. It has been especially gratifying to continue to influence the education of the outstanding students of our state.

My main topic of concern is the educator shortage. The Legislature recently passed and the Governor signed LB 1218. This law will provide for monetary incentives for our best and brightest students to become teachers. The most significant accomplishment of LB 1218 however, is public awareness of a crisis-level problem that has been brewing for many years. Not only must we incentivize the new teacher, but we also must retain our best and brightest teachers who are currently leading our classrooms. The Nebraska Department of Education with approval of the State Board has numerous tools to address this issue. The NDE is currently researching ways to reduce these barriers. Some of those solutions include working with our bordering states to accomplish reciprocity, evaluating our current teacher competency test, increasing financial support and partnering with our teacher preparation institutions to expand current and create new ways to work with those highly qualified people wishing to become tomorrow’s teachers.

If I am so humbled to be elected again to the State Board, obviously the area of educator shortage will be a major focus. Beyond this I hope to accomplish continued expansion of Early Childhood Education, improve the assessment programs to better reflect academic growth, expand the use of our Educational Service Units, continue to meet the needs of blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing, work with Vocational Rehabilitation, support special needs students, expand Veteran Education, ensure efficient use of all funds and much more. It’s all about the kids!

ELIZABETH TEGTMEIER

I am a lifelong resident of North Platte. After college, my husband and I returned to North Platte where he is the IT director for North Platte Public Schools and I currently stay at home raising our five college and school age children.

I am an educator who has taught in all three areas that the State Board of Education regulates -- public, private, and homeschool. I hold a current state of Nebraska teaching certificate and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction. I have served on various church boards and committees as well as community boards and organizations that focus on youth over the years. I decided to run for the State Board of Education last summer when none of the current board members would take a stand against the attempts to indoctrinate our children through the inclusion of radical sexual concepts in the proposed health standards. I have traveled over 19,000 miles throughout District 7 to visit with residents and have listened to grave concerns over education in our state. As your next representative, I will work to return the focus of education back to academics, address the teacher shortage, and hold the NDE accountable all while being mindful of the amount of money that we in the western end of the state pay in property taxes to help fund education. I have been endorsed by 17 conservative state senators and many other elected officials who believe that I will take a strong stand for our needs and values in Lincoln. I will be the voice of voters and not special interest groups.

PAT MOORE Pat Moore resides in Ha

Pat Moore resides in Hazard with his wife Julie. He has two sons, and eight grandchildren. His reason for running for the State Board of Education (SBOE) began when he served as parent representative to the Kearney Public Schools' Health Curriculum Committee in the early 1990’s. Even back then he experienced the push from the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) for Comprehensive Sex Education. He is concerned that the materials are far worse now and that local districts need to determine their health standards.

Following his service on that committee he ran for District 6 of the State Board in 1994 and was nearly successful. He joined with other local parents in 1996 to start Faith Christian School of Kearney as founding board chair. After becoming a pastor in 2001 he later felt called to be an intentional interim pastor where he served three churches that had been experiencing difficulties. He recently retired and feels he now has time to devote to helping the NDE return to the common-sense basics of education and to assist the SBOE and NDE through some of the difficulties they are currently experiencing. He was able to bring a calming presence to the churches in which he served as interim and hopes to help bring calming wisdom to the State Board of Education as well.

Moore believes that local communities, with their local standards, should have as much say as possible concerning the education of their children. But that requires local citizens to be positively engaged with their local teachers, administrators, and school board.

Moore understands Critical Race Theory (CRT) to be an offshoot of the Marxist “Critical Theory” which pits “oppressor” against “oppressed” and uses race as the dividing subject. He offers that by its very design, CRT is divisive and should have no place in education in Nebraska.

Moore has noted that according to Article VII-4 of the Nebraska Constitution, “The board shall appoint all employees of the State Department of Education...” Once elected, Moore is looking forward to conducting his own thorough on-site review of the employees of the NDE to see whom the board has already “appointed” and where things should proceed in the future. Moore holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Grace University in Omaha.