BROKEN BOW – Broken Bow School District Superintendent Darren Tobey has been elected to serve on the NSAA’s Board of Directors. He will be one of eight school administrators across the state to serve during the upcoming term.
Tobey will represent District IV; he was elected to the position by other superintendents and activity directors throughout the district, which encompasses Custer as well as over 18 other counties in central Nebraska.
Tobey garnered over 40 of the 65 votes in District IV’s election, a number that, despite the years of work put into enhancing Broken Bow’s schools, still floored the superintendent.
“You feel like people respect and appreciate what you do, but I guess you never know until people vote on it and you see the results. Whatever we’re doing here must be something that area schools are proud of, and want me to represent them. It’s a great honor.”
About 90% of the schools in Tobey’s District IV are rural, and the Broken Bow superintendent says that serving on the board will provide an invaluable chance to increase the voice and presence of those schools not only in the district but throughout the state at large.
“Just to have District IV represented by a rural superintendent, I think, is major. I feel I’ll be a good sounding board for representing those people, and the voices they have, or sometimes feel they don’t have. I’ll be a good person to take recommendations; what works out here may not work in the eastern part of the state, and vice versa.”
A well-known and frequently-cited headache for schools in central and western Nebraska is the perceived policy bias toward eastern districts; Tobey believes that with his seat on the NSAA’s Board of Directors, and his administrative experience and background, he can help foster understanding between administrators and educations in both urban and rural districts throughout the state.
“I want to be a person that can open up that dialogue and understand not just District IV, but where the NSAA is coming from, and be a sounding board for all those that want to voice their opinions, concerns, and differences moving forward. Hopefully, we can do what’s best for all our students across the state.”
While the office may belong to Tobey for the next four years, the superintendent says that the journey to it, as well as the prestige of the representation, belongs to everyone committed to the constant improvement of Broken Bow’s schools and community over the past five years.
“Things are different. That’s a lot of hard work, not just from myself, but from our school board, and our admin team, and I think those things are starting to get noticed. The perception now is, ‘Broken Bow’s doing a lot of good things over there.’”
A seat on the board may present opportunities for Broken Bow to host more district competitions, though Tobey says that while tempting, his focus will remain primarily on the ongoing improvement of the student experience through NSAA participation, and believes that such changes will come through Bow if it leads by example.
“For us, in Broken Bow, it’s another chance to showcase what we’re doing here every single day and the great things that are going on here, and I’ll have a chance to talk about those things with people all around the state on a monthly, even weekly basis. A lot of those doors are now open for our schools.”
Tobey’s four-year term will begin when the current District IV director, Centura’s Ryan Ruhl’s term expires at the end of July. Tobey will assume his duties on August 1, 2023, and will serve into 2027.
