Debra Hixon

Debra Hixon is an at-large member of the Broward County Public Schools school board in Florida. She assumed office on November 17, 2020. Her current term ends on November 21, 2028.

Hixon won re-election for an at-large seat of the Broward County Public Schools school board in Florida outright in the primary on August 20, 2024, after the general election was canceled.

Biography

Debra Hixon was born in Hollywood, Florida. She earned a bachelor's degree from Florida State University in 1989. Hixon's career experience includes working as a teacher, swim coach, and as a water polo coach with Blanche Ely High School and with South Broward High School, and as a magnet coordinator. She has served as a president with the Chris Hixon Athletic Scholarship foundation, as a vice president with the organization 4FNOW, as a board member with the organization Stand With Parkland, as a member with the faculty council, as a sponsor with the South Broward High School Interact Club, and as an organizer with the local annual Harvest Drive. She has served as a pack leader with a local Cub Scout group with the Boy Scouts of America. She has served as a member and as a scholarship committee board member with the Hollywood Lion's Club.^[1]

Elections

2024

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Incumbent Debra Hixon won election outright against Tom Vasquez in the primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Debra Hixon (Nonpartisan)	71.1	129,245
	Submit photo	Tom Vasquez (Nonpartisan)	28.9	52,543

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 181,788
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hixon in this election.

2020

General election

General election for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Debra Hixon defeated Jeff Holness in the general election for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Debra Hixon (Nonpartisan)	67.3	551,339
	Jeff Holness (Nonpartisan)	32.7	268,130

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 819,469
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Debra Hixon and Jeff Holness defeated Narnike Grant, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Joyce Williams-Bryan in the primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Debra Hixon (Nonpartisan)	41.6	121,777
✔		Jeff Holness (Nonpartisan)	25.9	75,977
	Submit photo	Narnike Grant (Nonpartisan)	11.4	33,489
	Submit photo	Jimmy Witherspoon (Nonpartisan)	10.9	31,981
	Submit photo	Joyce Williams-Bryan (Nonpartisan)	10.1	29,735

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 292,959
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Debra Hixon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Debra Hixon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hixon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Debbi Hixon is a 31 year Nationally Certified Educator that is committed to building positive relationships to improve the Broward County School Districts for schools and our communities. She earned her BS degree in Biology and Education at Florida State University and worked as a teacher at both Blanche Ely High School and South Broward High School for a total of 27 years. She had been the Maritime/Marine Science & Technology Magnet Coordinator at South Broward High School for the past 4 years.Debbi is the mother of 2 boys; Tom and Corey, and the wife of Chris Hixon, the slain Athletic Director at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Debbi is a graduate of South Broward High School, along with both of her children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Debbi understands that safety and security are important for all schools; schools need to be safe places for both staff and students so that learning can occur.
Debbi believes teachers should be lifted up and valued, this will enable all students to be successful.
She is RIGHT FOR OUR SCHOOLS because she wants to make our district better through positive changes and strong leadership.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about safety and security in our schools and addressing the mental heath issues for our students and staff.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I bring 31 years of teaching experience, judgement, compassion, understanding, and proven commitment to our schools, teachers, staff, parents, students, businesses, and communities. I have the skills and first-hand knowledge necessary to meet the challenges and respond to changes, as I have during this pandemic, and to take advantage of the opportunity to move Broward County Schools forward.

I have actual experience in my position as the Magnet Coordinator in budgeting, scheduling, transportation, and community outreach. I am a strong believer in BCPS having choices of programs and schools for students that fit and prepare them for their career goals.

I am passionate about Broward County's schools, its students, its teachers and its staff who go above and beyond in their dedication. I will work with the board to make the changes necessary to keep our schools safe, not only from active shooters, but from bullying and over testing. I will work to provide teachers with adequate pay and the resources and policies they need to help students succeed as well as to increase mental health services in our schools. I will build open and positive relationships between schools and their communities. I will bring stakeholders, community leaders, and educators together to develop policy, be open and accessible, be understanding and compassionate, and continue to treat everyone equally and with respect.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Determine school district's mission and purpose

Establish policies to accomplish the district's stated mission and ensure that policies are being followed
Select the Superintendent
Support the Superintendent and assess performance
Ensure adequate resources
Enhance the school district's public standing

Ensure legal and ethical integrity, maintaining accountability

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I would like to leave is one of making positive changes in our district and build strong partnerships with our communities. Our district needs to reach out the community and partner with business and community members to create an environment of collaboration and partnership that will enhance our students' educational experience. As the Magnet Coordinator at South Broward I have worked closely with communities and businesses and realize that we could have much stronger partnerships with better communication. I would also like to leave a legacy that uplifts teachers and staff and makes them feel valued and supported.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was a science teacher at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach FL. I am still a teacher, 32 years later at South Broward High School in Hollywood Florida. I am currently the Marine Science and Technology Magnet Coordinator at South Broward.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love all the Nora Roberts books because she writes with such amazing detail. You feel like you are in the place that she is writing about and that you are part of the story.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Disney- Moana

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Pat Benatar- "We Belong"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My husband was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14, 2018. Moving forward and trying to make sense of what happen that day is a daily struggle for me. Chris was my life partner, every decision I have made in my adult life was centered around him and our life together. I work daily to find purpose and keep a positive outlook in life so that I can bring something good from this senseless act of violence and profound loss.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The most important responsibility of school boards is to work with their communities to improve student achievement in their local public schools.

Who are your constituents?

Everyone in Broward County would be my constituent as this is an At Large Seat and I would represent everyone in the County.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

It has been proven that attendance is key to educational success. There should be a team in place that works with parents and students that are chronically absent to help ensure students have what they need to get to school each day.

Another issue is the evaluation process is focused solely on testing and not on true learning. Using only these high-stake tests is not the best indicator of performance as they are only a snapshot of student learning. Some students come from families that can give them a vast amount of life experiences that expand their vocabulary and help them with skills like making connections, inferencing and visualizing. Other students come from families that are struggling to provide basic resources for family members and struggle to get to school each day. Teachers don't always have the time to expand students' knowledge and vocabulary that would give them the background knowledge they need to perform better on the standardized tests.
To help students make the connection between reading and technology, we must provide training for teachers to bridge this digital divide. Students must be given opportunities to become proficient in reading through mediums that are of interest to them to help them feel engaged in the lesson.
Schools with a high set of expectations for all students will increase student achievement. Students must be provided with consistent opportunities to complete grade-appropriate assignments, strong instruction that puts the responsibility for most of the thinking on the students and teachers with high expectations.

Finally, schools should be obligated to provide students with mental health services and counseling to help them deal with the issues that they struggle with so that they can focus on learning.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

This is a very personal and difficult topic for me as my husband, Chris Hixon, was one of the victims of the shooting. There has been some progress in making schools safer but more needs to be done to ensure the safety of our students and staff on school campuses. We must create a plan to mitigate and protect our schools by securing the perimeter so that students and staff, stay safe in the buildings. The policies that are in place should be monitored and people who don't follow the policies should be held accountable. For example, if the policy is to keep the doors locked and someone is consistently leaving the door unlocked, they should have a consequence. We must work together with outside agencies when someone is identified as a threat to the safety of the school and minizine the threat, removing them from the school setting and providing them services needed when appropriate. We must make a code red policy that is in writing so everyone on campus knows what their role is in the event of a code red. Although each situation may be unique, if everyone knows what is expected of them then they will be able to follow procedure to help keep themselves and others around them safe. I was part of a national committee who created a federal government website (schoolsafety.gov) that provides resources to create an action plan to create a safe and supportive learning environment. I think all principals should use this resource to create their own action plan as each school is unique and will have different needs.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 1, 2020

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 1, 2020

[1]

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Debra Hixon

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Broward County Public Schools school board At-large Seat 9

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

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