On Nov. 4, Amy Riccardi was elected as the new Sterling district representative of the Loudoun County School Board. With her new position, she is responsible for managing the interests of schools with varying needs – focusing on increasing Title I resources for Park View High School and implementing higher-rigor education for Rock Ridge through IB programs, while keeping political differences out of the space of education. For her term, Riccardi has goals of increasing communication with students and parents through advisory groups, modifying policy 8040 to keep bathrooms separate based on biological sex, and staying actively involved in Rock Ridge community events. 

*The following transcript has been edited for clarity. 

Q: What motivated you to run for school board representative?

A: I got into this race in 2023 and ran for school board because I’m incredibly passionate about education in general. My two kids have already graduated from high school, [and] my daughter graduated in June of 2023, right before I got into the race. I really just thought about it, and I’m an incredible education advocate. I am passionate about education, and I always have been. So for me, I thought the timing was right in 2023, and I’ve just continued to stay really engaged with the school board over the last two years, so I decided to run again.

Q: What outside experience or expertise do you bring to the school board?

A: I have a master’s degree in education from George Mason, and I teach there as well in the business school. I’m a management consultant by profession. I work with lots of different kinds of organizations around creating great workplaces and great cultures for people to work in. I also do a lot of work in the change management world. I’ve always loved teaching, so that’s a big part of the work that I do as well. I do a lot of workshops and seminars, so creating courses for professional development is something I love. A lot of different backgrounds and different work experiences have led me to this race. 

Q: During your campaign, what concerns did you hear from students, and how did it shape your campaign?

A: On the Rock Ridge and Loudoun Valley Estates side, [there were] a couple of things I heard from parents and voters overall. Number one, the whole power line issue is a huge issue over in Loudoun Valley Estates, and it makes a lot of sense. [Dominion Energy] wanted to run the power lines around [Rock Ridge’s] campus, which [the school board wasn’t] excited about at all. There was discussion about burying [the power lines], moving them, et cetera. The community’s been really involved in that process. It’s a really big issue. It’s not 100 percent directly related to schools, but it does touch on the schools and the school district from that perspective. It certainly impacts families [with] kids that go to the three schools. That’s a huge piece. The other thing I heard a lot about over in Loudoun Valley Estates is the desire for more rigorous education for students and parents spending a lot of time and investing a lot of resources in additional tutoring to help kids get even better at varying subjects. It begs the question: ‘Are we challenging the students in Loudoun County State schools enough? Do we need to look at more rigorous programs on that side of the district?’ The Sterling Park side’s got its own set of things. That’s a whole other issue. There [are] a lot of things at the Academies of Loudoun (AOL), there’s Thomas Jefferson [highschool] (TJ), and programs like that. I want to see the International Baccalaureate (IB) program put over there in a more accessible area for [Rock Ridge students] to access. Both of my kids were in the IB program in their high school and were identified very early on in third grade to go into that program. They had a really interesting and incredibly global academic background in the IB program. I’m hoping that there’s a new [IB program] that’s going to be dropped in Eastern Loudoun at Parkview next year, but I would love to see all [Rock Ridge students] have access to that as well.

Q: What do you think resonated most with the community and contributed to your election win?

A: I’m a former Division I volleyball player and a coach and a referee for girls’ volleyball. I’ve been passionate about girls’ sports. The number one question I got asked about across the board was the Title IX stuff going on in the schools right now and boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports. I’ve been very clear about my stance on this from the very beginning [of my campaign]. I’m not for that happening. I have incredible passion and compassion for our transgender [students], and I want to make sure that all students in all schools feel safe and are not bullied. At the same time, we’ve got to make sure that we’re protecting the private spaces for our boys and girls and that bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports are kept separate based on biological sex. I got asked that question three or four dozen times a day during early voting. I know parents are worried about that. The other thing I think people are worried about is academic excellence. On the east side of the district in Sterling, we have a real issue with learning loss from COVID and with our English learners. 54 percent of the students on that side of the district are English learners, and they’re not reading at grade level. I have a very different set of education needs over there. Plus those schools are also Title I schools. They just lack some of the financial resources that other families within Loudoun County have access to. I want to make sure that we’re addressing those issues as well. 

Q: Why do you think you were elected to represent an area that has traditionally voted for liberal candidates?

A: I think it comes down to two things. Number one, I really want to lower the political temperature on the school board and get it out [of our schools] [and] get our school board out of the national news and focus on education policy, regardless of people’s politics. I think for me, I’m very passionate about that. I don’t go into a client’s location and sort out everybody’s politics and then act accordingly. As school board members, we’re supposed to be nonpartisan. That’s why on the ballot, you don’t see Rs or Ds next to school board names. We’ve gotten away from that, and I wanted to see if we can get back to having that kind of dialogue and just doing what’s in the best interest of our students and our teachers and our staff at our facilities. 

Q: What will be your top priorities once you officially take office?

A: We start on January 6th, and [the school board] gets the new 2027 school board budget on January 16th. The very first thing that all of us have to dive into is the budget and [start] sorting out how we’re going to prioritize expenditures for the 2027 [school] year. That’s where we have to start because that’s the body of work that happens right at the beginning of the term in January. I have been to the last two years worth of board processes, so I understand how it operates and how it works. I’m really excited to be able to look at that and try to prioritize. I think they’re asking for a 4.7 percent budget increase this coming year, but we have 1500 to 1800 fewer students, so the first thing I need to understand is why are we asking for so much more money when we have so much less [of a] student population this year? I really want to understand where did all these students go between last year and this year? As far as program priorities, I also want to take a look at the IB program, the AOL programs, especially the higher performing tech related ones, and really see if we can expand some of those programs and opportunities. Early on, [I] want to hear from the community and figure out what [students] want and then move accordingly [to] the budget and align the budget to the needs of our students.

Q: What long-term goals do you hope to accomplish during your term?

A: On the Sterling Park side, I don’t think people understand the academic issues that exist on that side of the district. Part of this is bringing light to that and being able to explain the academic needs. There’s an accountability framework that the state of Virginia has for all schools, and all seven of those schools are in need of additional academic support in varying ways. I want to make sure I understand why that is [and] what we can do to help our teachers and our students excel academically and get them up to grade level in reading, math, history and science. Long-term, my goal is to hopefully start tackling this within the first year that I’m on the board, but it’s going to be a longer-term fix.

Q: Could you explain your stance on policy 8040 and what actions you plan to take regarding it?

A: Policy 8040 allows for students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity, not on their biological sex. The board, a couple of meetings ago, decided that they were not going to make any changes to that policy until there’s a change in the federal law. I’ve been pretty clear [through] the whole election cycle about my views on this, but [other school board members] haven’t really weighed in yet. I think what we need to do is have [a] conversation after [the] Supreme Court decision and decide what we want to do with [the policy]. When [single use restrooms] were originally allocated and created at schools a couple of years ago, they were built under the guise that our transgender students could use those bathrooms if they weren’t comfortable using their same-sex bathrooms. A couple years ago, that narrative kind of flipped, and now [students] can use whatever bathroom they want to based on their gender identity. I think we’ve got to have some really clear conversations with board members about where our stance is on this, and people need to kind of go on the record, and then we’ll see what winds up happening. 

Q: What would you say to students who feel like the bathroom and locker room debate isn’t a daily issue like the media makes it seem?

A: There’s a lot of things to focus on. I know the bathroom issue is of concern to a lot of parents, but if it’s not as big of a concern as it seems to be, then there’s other things I’ve got to be focused on too. For example, we’re starting our budget process right in January, and there’s a huge amount of money at stake and a lot of different priorities that have to be kind of filtered out. Policy 8040 isn’t the center of all of all policy issues for me. There’s a lot of other things I want to be focused on too, but it is a question I got asked a lot about, and so I want to dive into it a little bit more and kind of see how the new board feels about it. 

Q: To Rock Ridge students or LCPS high schools, what changes can they expect that might impact them with your policies?

A: I don’t know that [students are] going to see a whole lot of changes necessarily in policies. What [students] are going to see is a lot more communication. I think parents, taxpayers, and students are going to have a lot more opportunity to interact with me directly and share with me what [they] all are looking for. I really want to get into the community and start really talking to people about what the key issues are for [students] and how I can help support that. The school board’s not designed to micromanage the things that are happening at schools. It’s really the jobs of principals to make sure that [students] have what they need. My job as a school board member is to make sure that [students’] principals and administrative staff at schools have all the resources that they need and want and make sure that we’ve got the budget to support that. [Rock Ridge] has so many great programs. I know the theater department is fantastic, [and] I know we have a lot of high-performing students. I know the high school itself does really well, even statewide and nationally in a lot of different areas, so I’m really excited to kind of get in and really understand what you guys do really, really well, what you want to continue to do, and then how I can help support you guys. 

Q: How are you planning on balancing the needs of Rock Ridge vs Park View High School?

A: What I’m looking to do is actually craft two different sets of student and parent and taxpayer voter advisory groups, one over in Loudoun Valley Estates and one over in Sterling, so that I’m meeting with them at least quarterly and maybe even more frequently to make sure I’m hearing directly from students, parents, taxpayers, and the public on both sides of the district, because they do have two very unique sets of needs and desires for our schools. I want to be able to be in both areas and address those needs very independently of each other, so in the first quarter of 2026, I’m looking to quickly establish those student and parent advisory groups and then set up quarterly town hall meetings on both sides of the district.

Q: Outside of your political position, what are some things you enjoy doing? 

A: So I have two [dogs], a sheepadoodle, and a golden doodle, so I spend a lot of time with them, taking them to the dog park and that kind of thing. [In] COVID, I got into gardening, so I have a little hydroponic garden indoors, and I have a couple of garden beds outdoors, so when the weather’s nice, I really like to get out there and kind of play around with growing interesting vegetables and things like that. I have a consulting business, so I do a lot of work with clients across the area in a range of management consulting issues. This summer, I started volunteer coaching at Parkview over the summer, and then I wound up sponsoring their team this year, so I did that in the late summer and then early fall during the volleyball season. I’ve had a chance to join the Booster Club at Parkview, and I want to join the Booster Club at Rock Ridge as well, just so I can stay in the loop about what’s actually happening, as I’m looking forward to being around and really active in the community and just participating and talking to parents and students. 

Q: What are you most looking forward to with your new position?

A: I think just really being an advocate. I really enjoy education in general, and I really love working with students of all ages, so I think for me, part of it is just fun, exploring what everybody’s doing, and then also being kind of a troubleshooter and helping to address any big picture issues that the schools have. I’m really looking forward to that because I like helping to solve problems, especially ones that are really kind of tricky ones to solve. I’m really looking forward to meeting our students, our teachers, and our staff at the schools and our principals. And then from a school board perspective, I’m really hoping that I play a key role in trying to lower that political temperature that I talked about earlier, and really trying to make sure that we’re just focusing on education and what’s in the best interest of students and not political agendas. So, I think those are all some of the things I’m going to really dive into.