By Tyler Dahlgren

It’s 2:00 on a Thursday, time to log on for another Zoom call.

For the superintendent of a school district, life can feel like one virtual meeting after another. The days are busy enough already, but this particular Zoom doesn’t elicit a roll of the eyes. 

For the Super Lopers, it’s quite the opposite, actually.

“I would equate our meetings to having a cup of coffee with a good friend,” said Gothenburg Public Schools superintendent Dr. Allison Jonas, who’s been a part of the group for over three years. “You look forward to that, and I look forward to this with the same type of enthusiasm because it’s a chance to close the door and ignore the outside world for 45 minutes with good friends.”

The superintendency can be a lonely job. You’re the face of the district, the final word on the budget, and the lightning rod for community concerns, big and small.

“A lot of times superintendents are the only one in the community and it’s easy to let yourself get out there on an island,” said Dr. Michael Teahon, Chair of the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK). “It can be a pretty lonely job, even more so if you think all the problems you’re dealing with are only yours.”

The Super Lopers, a name that nods to their shared alma mater and their mission to provide a "huddle" for professional support, started as an experimental support group. In less than five years, it has blossomed into a statewide network of educational leaders who have learned that while they may be the only superintendents in their respective towns, they are never truly alone.

The Super Lopers didn’t begin with a formal mandate or a state grant. It began with a realization from Dr. Teahon, a longtime former superintendent himself who saw a gap between the classroom and the realities of the front office.

“A bunch of our UNK Ed-Ad alums had taken superintendent jobs,” Teahon recalled. “And I suggested to the group that they set up a system where they meet every other week to just talk about life as a new superintendent. That first group's been meeting for four and a half years.”

Unlike traditional mentorship models of years past that rely on a "big brother, little brother" or “big sister, little sister” hierarchy, the Super Lopers operate on a lateral foundation.

“This is different in that all of these people come in kind of at the same level and they're working on it together,” Teahon says. “You might be intimidated asking a veteran superintendent a question, when you can ask the 'dumb' question to your buddy and he doesn't know the answer either, and you figure it out together. I think that's been the power of it.”

Today, the Super Lopers span from the panhandle to the eastern borders. The network consists of two primary groups: Super Loper 1, coordinated by Jess Bland (Oakland-Craig), and Super Loper 2, led by Matt Drew (Litchfield). While it started with UNK graduates, the tent has grown.

“It is truly statewide,” Teahon noted, pointing to members like Chris Arent in Potter-Dix and Liz Baker in Sioux County. “I've told them if you want to invite a neighboring superintendent that's in the same position as you are, invite them. Probably a third of them are not our students and are just participating.”

For the Super Lopers, the bi-weekly Zoom calls are more than just another calendar invite. 

“For me, it’s one of the best professional development opportunities I get throughout the year, and I rarely have to leave my office,” said Humphrey Public School superintendent Brice King. “Our agenda is great. It’s flexible. We add things as they come up, and we have genuine conversations.”

The agenda, as King alluded to, is fluid, moving from technical finance questions to the raw emotional weight of the job. 

“There’s times that one of us will send a quick text out and say, ‘Hey, I got this situation, any of you experienced this?’” King said. “Just that quick response back really kind of helps diffuse the situation.”

For administrators in the more remote parts of the state, the group serves as a bridge across the miles. Baker leads Sioux County Public Schools in Harrison, 450 miles from the State Capitol. Super Lopers helps to shrink the state.

“I'm pretty isolated being way up in the north panhandle,” Baker said. “It's just really nice to be able to interact with other superintendents and get feedback on issues.”

Steve Bristol, a principal at Bertrand who previously served as a superintendent, described the group's value in just one word. 

“Security,” he said matter-of-factly. “When I was in the superintendent role, it was security. Just knowing that I wasn't the only one going through what they're going through.”

This security allows for a vulnerability that isn’t possible in a public boardroom or at the local diner. Skip Bremer, superintendent at Osmond Community School, noted that the group provides a safe space that the community cannot always provide. 

“You really can't go down to the coffee shop downtown, talk to locals and say, ‘Hey, I'm really struggling with this. What do you guys think?’” Bremer said. “Maybe sometimes you can, but not often. With this group, it’s a very genuine thing.”

Because the members are often at similar stages in their careers, they speak a shared language. They mimic each other's resilience and borrow from each other's grit.

“It’s seeing how people react to the 'fire' that sometimes starts in school districts,” said Ogallala Public Schools superintendent Gene Russell. “Being able to see how someone takes that on allows you to get a better understanding of maybe what personality is needed. I think, ‘Hey, I don't need to freak out this much on this if other people have experienced it.’”

Jonas agreed, pointing to the diversity of the two groups as their greatest strength. 

“Each person on our team brings a unique perspective and a unique strength,” said Jonas. “It doesn't matter what comes up in our own building. There's someone in our group that's either handled that before or has handled something similar.”

While the group bonds over the heavy lifting of school administration, they also serve as each other's biggest cheerleaders–to a certain extent, that is. 

“This group keeps you humble,” Arent said with a laugh. “You don’t want to get too far up and you don’t want to get too far down. If you’re down, they’ll build you up. If you’re bragging a little too much, they’ll bring you back to earth. In a good way. In a fun way.”

When King’s district passed a bond election recently, his first move was to text the Super Lopers.

“One of my first texts that I sent was to this group,” King said. “I just said, ‘Sorry, I'm changing the subject, but our bond passed.’ It was just knowing how much that I've shared with them over the time that that was one of the groups I wanted to share that good news with.”

The camaraderie goes beyond computer screens. During state conferences like NCSA’s Administrators’ Days, the Super Lopers are easy to spot. 

“Anytime you go to a conference, they're all sitting together,” said Teahon. “If they come a night early, they'll all go out and eat together and they've become close friends, colleagues, peer mentors. It's been fun to watch.”

The success of the Super Lopers has not gone unnoticed. NCSA is drawing upon the Super Loper "huddle" model to revitalize professional development across the state. Arent said that the Super Loper model succeeds where traditional professional development fails. 

“There's a lot of 'one and done' as far as professional development goes,” he continued. “You go somewhere, you sit down, you get to sit and get, and then you're done. This is consistent. We even meet over the summer. That interaction allows learning to occur.”

As the demand for school leaders continues to grow, the Super Lopers have a clear message for those considering the leap into the superintendent’s chair. Don’t go at it alone.

“My advice is to find your people,” said Jonas. “When we connect with each other, we're able to solve infinitely more challenges than we are independently. It’s those tough times I think that tend to overcome and maybe chase people out of the superintendency. When you surround yourself with a great group of people, it gives you the tools and the skill set to be able to persevere.”

Bremer, who came into public education after 35 years as an administrator in Lutheran schools, adds a final, humble reflection on the necessity of the group. 

“Yeah, you can do it on your own, but it's not going to be as good,” he said. “You don't always have the right answers, but you can always go find the right answers. This is one of those groups that makes life a lot easier. As an outsider coming in, I’ve greatly appreciated the administrators in this state. They’ve all been very helpful.”

In a profession where the responsibilities are often heavy and the roads are often windy, the Super Lopers have created their own little community, and they’re on this journey together.

One cup of coffee at a time.