Like Father, Like Son: Hild Follows In Father's Footsteps

He loved to climb up into the pickup and go help his dad sort pigs. When he was just 8 or 9 years old, he even asked for a sorting board for Christmas.

“I always thought that was a unique gift request,” his mother Cindy Hild said with a chuckle. “But Kevin loved it.”

Kevin Hild, now 34, said his late father, Bruce, was his “biggest role model” and one of the reasons he put his name on the ballot for the Neligh-Oakdale School board.

Bruce was a long-time member of the Neligh-Oakdale School board and also served on the ESU8 board, and Cindy taught Family and Consumer Science for more than 35 years. With these strong educational ties, Kevin said he understands the importance of the school board and its decisions.

“When dad was still alive, we talked about me maybe being on the school board,” Kevin said. “Dad had no regrets being on the school board. He was on the ESU8 board, too. His opinion was if there was a board you wanted to be an official for, he recommended the school board or some board in the educational field. So his influence meant a lot to me.”

This year, Kevin said the timing just felt right.

“At some point, I always thought I would run, and to be quite honest, with a lot of stuff that’s kind of gone on the last year, I decided if there is any time to be on it, it might be now,” Kevin said.

Voters in the Neligh-Oakdale School district agreed. Kevin received 691 votes, more than any of the three incumbents on the ballot. He will be sworn at the January board meeting, along with Kenny Reinke and Ryan Koinzan.

Kevin said the election results may have been a sign that voters were ready for change.

“If people aren’t excited how things are running and they see a new person on a ballot, in my eyes, maybe they’re going to vote for you,” he said. “They just want change.”

However, Kevin was a little surprised to be the top vote-getter in the election.

“I was surprised, I was flattered and I was honored,” he said. “It made me more reassured that, going forward, that I do have the support of a lot of people. I got a lot of calls and texts supporting and congratulating me, excited that they might have a new aspect coming in, maybe with different ideas or opinions.”

Cindy said she was hesitant when Kevin expressed his interest in running for school board.

“But, then I figured if he wanted to make a difference, now is probably the time to do it,” she said.

​A 2002 Neligh-Oakdale graduate, Kevin is now married with a young family. He and his wife Miranda have two daughters—Cheyney, 1½, and Peysyn, 2 months.

“As a school board member, he is going to be very cognizant of his girls and his school,” Cindy said.

Kevin said he is looking forward to making a difference.

“I’m looking forward to the future, whatever that may be,” he said. “I’m looking forward to, hopefully, making a decision with the community’s opinion, more so than an individual opinion. As an elected official, you should be a voice for the community and not just have your own agenda. I’m excited to use the community’s voice through me and make good decisions for the future.”

A self-employed business owner, Kevin runs Hild Construction of Neligh.

“With my construction business, I have knowledge that will be helpful in maintaining the facility longevity too,” he said.

The newly-elected board member said his priorities will be “the education of our children and giving teachers the support they need” while emphasizing accountability.

“I’m not going to try to be a puppet master, but I want people to be accountable and hold responsibilities for their jobs,” he said. “If they’re not doing a good enough job, let’s find out the reason why they’re not doing a very good job, how they can improve their job.”

Like rungs of a ladder, Kevin said there is a hierarchy in place for a reason.

“So, it’s got to start with the superintendent, then down to the principal, down to the teachers and so on, making sure we have the right people in place, and I believe we do, but everybody needs to be held accountable for their duties,” he said. “Making this a better place where our teachers want to come to work here and our children want to come to school here.”

Kevin’s election to the school board would have made his dad happy, Cindy said.

“He would have been very, very pleased and would support him 110 percent,” she said.

Kevin thinks so, too.

“When I had talks with my dad about the school board, he thought I should do it,” he said. “I think he’d be proud.”