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Politics & Government

A Conversation with Pat Riccards

The newly-elected school bard chairman sees his biggest challenge as, predictably, the budget.

With a background in politics and communication, it's no wonder Patrick Riccards is a smooth talker. He chooses his words carefully, but makes his conversation seem effortless.

Maybe that's why, after only a year on the Falls Church City Public Schools Board, he was chosen as chairman for the 2011-2012 year.

Or it could be because education is in his blood. Both of Riccard's parents had careers teaching others, and it was bound to rub off on their son.

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"I've spent most of my professional life dealing with the issues we're facing," said Riccards.

His mother was a high school English teacher, often in mediocre schools with few resources. From her Riccards learned good grammar and to respect the work of teachers. His father, an educator of educators, jumped from teachers' college to teacher's college throughout Riccard's life.

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After seven-years working in communications for various lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Riccards held executive positions at communications firms in Washington, D.C. and Texas. When he and his wife moved back to the Washington area with their adopted son and daughter, public schools were a deciding factor in where they settled down.

"We chose to live in Falls Church (City) because of the reputation of the schools," Riccards said. "But a reputation is only as good as what you're doing with it now. I ran [for school board] to make sure that remains the same."

His goal, he said, is to use Falls Church schools' reputation to advance the interest of the entire city.

"A lot of people question school spending," said Riccards. "Tax bills are going up, and the school budget is eating a big part of that. We need to refocus on the importance of schools. Schools are who we are. The community sees the impact of good schools even if they don't have kids in them."

Riccard's business, as CEO of Exemplar Strategic Communications, combines his experience in communication strategy and education policy to teach organizations how to get their message out. He also writes the blog Eduflack, a blog about education policy.

He plans to use that experience to unite the community through improved communication and input from stakeholders in the city.

"People have to buy into it," Riccards said. "Everything has to be in the public eye. We need to solicit and engage by talking to those who have concerns, whose did not have a world-class education."

As both school enrollment and health and retirement costs increase, the challenge for the school board and the city council will continue to be in the budget, and how to keep Falls Church schools performing. His solution is revenue sharing, in which the schools receive a fixed percentage of the city's revenue each year.

"We need to get away from the us versus them mentality," said Riccards. "Revenue sharing takes the heat out of the debate."

In 2011, schools received 43 percent of total expenditures, which, according to Riccards, isn't enough. The budget for 2012 sets schools funding at 44 percent of expenditures. 

"We have to make it very clear that our commitment to schools is going to have to increase. We have to make the investment."

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