To further assist our readers in making educated decisions when voting in November, we have sent a list of questions to each candidate running for the School Board of Broward County.
Debra Hixon
- What is your full name and what position are you running for?
Debra Hixon, Broward County at Large School Board Seat.
2. Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Hollywood FL and have lived in the same house my whole life.
3. Why are you running for this position?
Two years ago, my husband Chris Hixon was a victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas murders. He was a beloved coach and died trying to save students. After the shooting, I became an activist and spokesperson on reducing gun violence and school safety, working with Stand With Parkland to lobby our state and national leaders to pass laws for safer schools, responsible firearm ownership, and better mental health services. I have also reached out to the Broward County School Board members and Superintendent Runcie to work with them to make stronger policies and procedures for school safety within our district. When I learned the At Large Seat would be open, I realized that with my 31 years of teaching experience in Broward Public Schools, my love for education, my desire to enhance school safety, teacher pay and respect, and my ability to bring stakeholders together, that I was the right person at this time to serve on the School Board countywide.
-Have you run in the past?
No, this is my first time running for office.
4. If elected, what is your first point of action?
Addressing the pandemic must be the number one priority at this time. Policies and procedures about PPE and social distancing must be created and shared with the community immediately. Another priority is to secure the perimeter of schools to ensure they are safe from unwanted people getting in and preparing our students and staff for an active shooter emergency. We must also safeguard students and teachers from bullying and harassment and other health hazards such as mold and bad air quality. I would work with district staff to research these issues and work to address the problems and create a plan to resolve the issues.
-Why?
Safety and Security are my number one priority because if we don’t keep our students and staff safe at school and they don’t come home, nothing else matters.
5. What mission do you feel most passionate about?
I am passionate about making sure our public schools are providing and equitable and valuable education for all our students in the district.
-Why?
I have been a teacher for 31 years and I am invested in the Broward County School System. I know that our students and teachers are amazing and that they deserve a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential.
6. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?
I would hold Town Hall meetings and meetings at the local schools to reach out to the residents to listen to their concerns. I would bring the concerns back to the School Board meetings and share the needs and issues with the other board members.
7. Where are your favorite places to spend time in our town?
I enjoy Pine Trails Park and the Equestrian Center.
Debra Hixon
Jeff Holness
- What is your full name and what position are you running for?
Jeff Holness, Candidate for School Board of Broward County, At Large, Seat 9.
2. Where are you originally from? Why did you choose to move to this city/county/school district/state district? How long have you been here?
I migrated to the United States from Jamaica over 30 years ago with my family and have lived in Broward since.
3. Why are you running for this position? Have you run in the past?
I am running for School Board because I am deeply concerned about the future of children in Broward County and I strongly believe that being a longtime educator, a business owner and community leader, I have the right knowledge, right experience, the right educational background and the right attitude to create a brighter future for them. We are living in unprecedented times with so much ambiguities and uncertainties. Children have had to deal with the MSD tragedy including my two sons, who attend public schools in Parkland, the COVID 19 Pandemic and its’ impact on schools and communities all across Broward and so much more. Now more than ever we need someone with the right knowledge, experience, and education on our School Board who will foster an attitude of unity, cooperation and collaborative engagement to move our district forward and create a brighter future for our children.
4. If elected, what is your first point of action? Why?
Reopening of Schools Safely in the Period of Coronavirus and Providing Options to Parents.
We must consider the safety of students, the logistics of parents’ schedule and availability as well as have a great focus on providing a high-quality education. When schools reopen physical locations, we must continue to provide options of both e-learning as well as on site. For parents choosing e-learning, the district will need to continue to improve its online delivery of instructions to provide a most enhanced e-learning experience so there is less dependency on parents’ involvement especially for English Language Learner Students and Students with various learning challenges and disabilities. There will need to be continued teacher/student contact, greater student educational and tech support services and access, continued teacher, student and parent training on using online learning, clear policies for online security, discipline, role, expectations etc, improve communication access among teachers, students, parents, leadership and school mental health personnel, and consistency across schools with grading, student assessments and assignments content and volume.
The challenges going forward for on-site are keeping our students safe and continuing to deliver high quality instructions. We must ensure that there is input from all stakeholders including parents, teachers, staff, and students on all areas of safety and scheduling when we reopen the physical school sites. Upon reopening schools, I support policies and procedures to keep our children, parents, teachers and staff as safe as possible. For example, we must ensure social distancing, wearing of masks, sanitizing and cleaning daily, temperature checking and so forth. As a Kumon math and reading center business owner who has responded successfully to COVID-19 by transitioning my learning center to a vibrant enhanced online platform and also has plans and procedures in place for reopening the physical location shortly, I will be able to add value in this area in helping the district adapt and reopen safely and successfully.
5. What mission do you feel most passionate about? Why?
I am very passionate about the district and schools effectively meeting the learning needs of our ESE children including our children with learning disabilities and our gifted students. There are over 32, 000 students with learning disabilities in Broward County Schools. Their learning outcomes can be negatively affected when accommodations are inadequate or are not properly implemented. There are many students in Broward County Schools whose disabilities are not identified for various reasons including many parents not being knowledgeable of the processes and benefits of evaluating their children so appropriate accommodations can be given. In some instances, the schools may not be reasonably proactive in identifying students with learning disabilities. I will work to ensure that as a school district we provide a high-quality education for our students with learning disabilities. This includes students with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), SLD (Specific Learning Disabilities such as Dyslexia), DHH (Deaf or having difficulty hearing students), SI (Speech Impairment), LI (Language Impairment), VI (Visual Impairment) and others.
I am also passionate about addressing mental health issues in children. Mental Health problems significantly affect students’ ability to realize their full potential. The State of Florida lags way behind in the amount of interest and funding provided to address mental health issues affecting our children. I will place great emphasis on identifying and working on mental health issues affecting our youth in Broward County Schools. I support increasing the number of health professionals in our schools including psychologists, guidance counselors, and family therapists to work effectively with students affected by mental health issues. I also support and embrace a collective approach in engaging other community agencies and municipalities to work collaboratively on issues of mental health affecting our students.
6. Where do you feel our city needs improvement? Why?
While the School District has made significant gains in students’ success and overall learning outcomes, the district needs to work diligently to expedite the Renovation aspect of the SMA”R”T bond. As an individual with a strong business background, owning and operating a very successful Kumon Math and Reading center in Coral Springs, I will bring my skills in business to the table and work with the district to ensure that we are spending wisely and moving these projects forward to completion.
7. Where do you feel our city stands above the rest? Why?
Broward County School District being the 2nd largest in the State of Florida stands above the rest of the other Florida School Districts in many areas as follows:
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It is the largest school district to offer scholastic chess to all 2nd grade students
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It has the largest debate program in the country with more than 15, 000 students competing
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It has the largest JROTC in the nation with 29 programs in place
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The district earned the most industry certification in the State of Florida outperforming other districts by 14%
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First district in the state to receive the Cambridge District of the Year distinction
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And much more
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8. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?
We must involve the community through survey and other mediums to get their input on major items that are significantly impactful. I believe residents input is very essential in the decision-making process. I will seek and value the input of our residents on important issues that affect communities. Seeking the input of residents helps me to better meet the needs of our residents.
9. What neighborhood do you live in? Why?
I currently live in the city of Sunrise, a city that is very diverse with wide range of amenities.
10. Where are your favorite places to spend time in our town?
I like looking out at the Everglades at sundown with my sons. I also like visiting the several beaches in our County.
Jeff Holness