Debbie Hopper

Why did you choose to run?

I chose to run mainly because I want to continue working on the important work we currently have in play. Continuing the effective leadership on the board is important, and I very much care about this district and the things happening in our society [as well as] the influences coming in, which I do have some concerns over. But I want to stay focused on all of our students in the district. I very much enjoy what I’m doing, and I’d like to keep up with that work.

What is your connection to Parkway? Where do your kids go to school, if you have any? If they don’t go to Parkway, why?

I’m a parent — my daughter is a freshman at West High, and my son is a 2020 graduate of West High. I’ve been strongly involved in the district [since] the beginning of Parkway’s Parents and Teachers program when our son was born. That was my first introduction to Parkway, and I was very impressed with it. [I] continued to get involved with the schools, first at the elementary level, and things evolved from there. 

What qualities can you bring to the school board?

I am very open-minded and I take a broad look at our district of 17,000 students and our infrastructure [covering] a 60-square-mile footprint. [Parkway covers] a large area and a lot of students. We have to have our minds open to all types of students in our district and what their needs are. I also serve on the Special School District’s Governing Council, and I very much look [through] a lens toward those students. [I try] to make sure that their needs are fulfilled, as well as our general education students. I make difficult decisions in a very objective manner, and I will work with my fellow board members and administration to dig deep into researching the various topics that we’re dealing with, so I know that I’m making the best decision I possibly can for all of our students. I am a leader; I have been serving the longest term of anyone on the board, and my fellow board members look to me for advice, direction and historical perspective — which are important. I very much appreciate their trust in me. I attribute my longevity on the board to believing that the community has learned to trust me and my decisions and knows that I will work hard for them.   

What kind of role model will you be to the students in Parkway?

A role model that I hope to be living up to is one that can be respected in the decisions that I make and understanding why I make the decisions that I do, the direction that I went or if I don’t agree with something, why I don’t agree with it. I have been told that I’m reliable and that people can count on me to hear them. As a role model, I think perseverance is very important, and I think it’s also important that we hold ourselves to our standards of success and what that means to us on an individual level. [I hope] that students can view me as someone who has their best interests in mind.

What do you do for work, if anything? How would that apply to your position on the school board?

I have a master’s degree in health administration. I was a premedical student at Washington University, and I evaluated how I wanted to pursue my career and my lifestyle. I determined that being a physician was not the path I wanted to [take]. I switched gears into the business end of healthcare, and I see that as an aspect for our students — that they can evaluate and look at their goals in life and make adjustments and changes as necessary to live on the path they desire. I moved from hospital administration to research administration; I wanted to round out my resume and thought that research would be a nice area to venture into, which I absolutely loved doing. I greatly enjoyed working with premier researchers and people working to make major innovations in science, technology and healthcare. 

Are there any big or small changes you would like to see happen in the district?

I am very encouraged by some of the changes that are going to be happening in partnership with the Special School District and our literacy program. These efforts have been going on for quite some time and are finally coming to fruition. I’m also looking forward to seeing the Prop S project come to fruition. We’re very pleased [that] our community supported a $265 million bond issue — which I’ve been told is historical in Missouri — and a no-tax-increase bond issue. I can’t wait to see the renovations to our playgrounds and swimming pool areas and the upgrades to technology that a lot of this will bring.

Why should people vote for you?

I want the voters in our Parkway to know that I will continue to maintain their trust and will lead with integrity and objectivity so that Parkway can move forward on the path of continuous progress and we can fulfill educational movement for all students throughout the district. People should vote for me because I will fight and advocate as I have been doing for the last nine years. It takes a board member a good one to two years — and your term is only three years — it takes a board member a while to get trained. There is required Missouri School Board Association training, and there is a lot to learn about the district’s finances, operations and building good relationships and rapport. I have been successful with all of that, and I’ve spent a lot of time trying to learn and stay on top of legislative matters related to education, developing rapports [and] working with my school board members. We’re a solid board right now, and I’d like to keep it that way. We all work well together. We do not always agree on all of the decisions, but we can come to [a] middle ground on the decisions we make and move on as a collective decision-making body.