Debbie Hopper, Candidate For Parkway School Board

Biographical Information

Name Age, Address: Debbie Hopper, 48, 316 Northmoor Drive, Ballwin, MO 63011

Occupation Administrative Director, Washington University School of Medicine

Education: Graduate of Washington University with a Master of Health Administration and a BA in Biology

Family: Mark (Husband), son and daughter.

Years Lived in The Parkway School District: Over 20 years

Brief Background 

Parkway School District involvement:

• Project Parkway
  • Character Development (2012-13)
  • Science Curriculum (2011-12)
  • Future Topics of Study (2010-11)
  • Higher Order Thinking and Differentiated Learning (2009-10)
• Government Relations Committee, current representative for Claymont
• Chaperone field trips
• Volunteer, school events and parties
• Attend Claymont PTO meetingso Attend/watch Parkway Board meetings
• Volunteer, Boy Scout Pack 631
• Enrolled in Parents as Teachers
• Attend Early Childhood Education Center programs
• Focus group participant in Superintendent search effort
• Past President, St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta
• Previous Board experience with other organizations

Reasons For Running

My involvement with the district has inspired me to run for this office as I have come to realize the School Board influences the fate of the district through its decisions.

With young children utilizing the resources of Parkway School District, I understand the family perspective on how we are directly impacted by district decisions. I would like to think my representation on the board will bring this family perspective in to the discussions on how board decisions will directly impact Parkway parents and their children.

It would be my honor to serve.

• What qualifies you to be a Parkway School Board member?

Becoming a Parkway School Board member is a responsibility I will take seriously. Taxpayersdeserve a strong advocate for common sense and conservative values who will ensure tax dollars are wiselyspent for our children.

Through my involvement with Parkway School district, I have become more cognizant of how complex and complicated it is to operate a school district and to manage the many influences that are placed upon school districts. With my prior board experience at other organizations, I have the experience to understand the impact of decisions board members have on an organization. As a graduate
of Washington University and employed by its School of Medicine, I am committed to district efforts for our students to be globally competitive and believe all students deserve the highest quality education at alllearning levels.

We see in the news media the struggles other districts throughout our region, state, and even the country are experiencing. Parkway is fortunate to not have some of the struggles the low performing schools are facing. At the same time, Parkway is not without its own challenges. Yet, the district is willing to confront and find reasonable ways to meet and overcome them.

I would be honored to be elected to Parkway’s School Board to continue its tradition of excellence while at the same time helping to move it forward to maintain its mission statement ‘to ensure all students are capable, curious and confident learners who understand and respond to the challenges of an ever-changing world’.

• Do you feel Parkway Schools are as reasonably safe as they can be in the wake of the Newtown school shooting? What is the most important thing you would like to see the district do withregard to school security moving forward?

Parkway is taking direct action to become as reasonably safe as possible. Since the Newtown school shooting took place, Parkway has put additional security measures in to place and continues to evaluate areas for improvement. The most important thing I would like to see the district do with security moving forward is to keep the issue at the forefront, as is currently being done, and to continue to educate our students, teachers, and staff about matters affecting school security.

I am not an advocate of making public all security measures and plans and prefer only individuals who need to know have the information made available to them.

• Identify the most significant area where you disagreed with the majority decision made by the Board of Education over the past two years and tell us why?

I do not have a strong opinion on this. Without the benefit of being a Board member, it is difficult to review all the decisions the Board has made over the past two years. However, the only area where I slightly disagreed with the Board initially was with their settling on some of the priorities that came out of the Project Parkway effort. Their decision differed from my opinion of what I thought should be prioritized .But, after attending a meeting where Dr. Marty was in attendance along with the Special School District’s Superintendent, Mr. Cary, my inquiry about this was addressed and I better understood the reasons whythe Board made the decisions they did.

•Is there a program or area of the school district budget that should be more closely scrutinized when it comes to evaluating possible budget cuts in future years?

Without the benefit of being a Board member, it is difficult to have a complete understanding of this issue to make an accurate recommendation. However, after attending one of the recent district-wide budgetmeetings, and meeting with some Parkway administrators, the one area that may need some attention is that of setting the fund balance percentage. The Board sets this percentage point and the district has been challenged with meeting it of late. The budget cuts recently approved were in part due to the necessity to meet this percentage point. Given the market fluctuations in the economy, this percentage point may need to be re-evaluated. But, Parkway Administrators and the Board of Education are to be commended for the process they used to evaluate the budget, to review a plan of action with the Parkway community, and to approve the proposed budget reductions without impacting the quality of education tothe students.

•Do you support the merger of continuing education classes and programs with the Rockwood School district?

This is not a current issue nor has it been approved. It was addressed publically at a Rockwood School Board meeting in April 2012. In was later placed on hold by both districts. I have reviewed the issue and understand the economic reasons for the two districts coming together to discuss the matter. If elected, and if the issue rises to the forefront during my term, I will consider the matter seriously and help to make reasonable decisions at the appropriate time.

• What is your process for establishing priorities when it comes to budget cuts which could impact student instruction?

Budget cuts impacting student instruction are not an issue at this time. Parkway recently just went through two rounds of budget cuts the past couple of years. Maintaining this budget and moving forward with academia and security are two key issues at the forefront at this time.

If I am elected to the Board, and if the issue comes up to make budget cuts that could impact student instruction, it would be my intention to become as knowledgeable as I could on the subject, what the specific cuts are that are being proposed, and the reasons why the cuts are being proposed. As technology and informatics progresses, and if Parkway continues to research the best ways to improve student learning and the educational process, it seems possible there will be better ways in the future to educate students that may require fewer financial resources than what is being expended today. If that is the case, I would be in favor of making the cuts. If the proposed budget cuts would potentially jeopardize quality education, I would not be in favor of approving the cuts.

• What do you desire to change in Parkway?

My desire to serve on the School Board is so that I may be involved with catapulting the district to a level which ensures each and every one of our students has a fair chance in their own life to be the best they can be and for each one to find their truest potential to be successful. It is the district’s responsibility to maximize its resources for this to happen, including not only maximizing its financial resources, but also in maximizing its ability to hire and retain quality teachers, staff, and in maximizing its support of parent andcommunity involvement.

If I am elected to the School Board, and find changes are necessary to meet this responsibility, I will work with my fellow board members and district administrators to implement the necessary changes.