Politics & Government

Profile: Sheila Ratnam, Sully District School Board Candidate

Ratnam wants to see better communication between the school board and the community

At a Glance

  • Born: India
  • Education: bachelor's in business administration from the University of Houston; master's certificate in Information Technology Project Management from George Washington University
  • Family: Married; two children
  • Occupation: contractor with the Department of Defense
  • Public office: None

Growing up in Houston, Sheila Ratnam never envisioned her future would include holding public office. In fact, she still falls short of even calling herself a politician despite running for the Sully District seat on the Fairfax County School Board against incumbent Kathy Smith.

To Ratnam, her run is to effect changes in the Fairfax County Public Schools efficiently and to do it so well that when her four years are over she has set a precedent for her successor.

Find out what's happening in Oaktonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I still don't have political aspirations. That's the least of my concerns," said Ratnam, a 35-year-old mother of two children in the school system. "The way I see it, this is a four-year term. I want to do the absolute best job I can within the next four years and leave behind a legacy."

Ratnam, who has been endorsed by the Fairfax County Republican Committee, is running for school board because she wants to improve communication between the school board and anyone seeking its ear, whether its students, teachers or parents. She has heard parents' complaints about not being heard and she decided she did not want that to continue.

Find out what's happening in Oaktonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"As a parent, I felt for that. I could relate," Ratnam said. "I wouldn't want to be treated like that, the unresponsiveness that I kept hearing over and over again from parents. I wanted to make a difference."

Ratnam had never before been involved in a PTA, but decided to join the one at her youngest child's school this year.

"I don't want to sit back and just let things happen anymore," Ratnam said. "I want to get totally, fully involved."

As she's meeting more people, both through the PTA and through her door-knocking campaign, she's hearing more of the complaints on how the school board seems to be out of touch. And Ratnam said it's not just parents complaining. There's the taxpayer who doesn't have a child in the school system, but wants to see his taxes well spent. The high-schooler sitting in the background while Ratnam is talking to the parents about school issues who calls out to add her opinions on certain issues.

Ratnam wants them all to feel comfortable reaching out to her, to act as a liaison between the community and the rest of the board.

Ratnam lists parental notification on disciplinary matters as a top priority, which is just a piece of her vision for more transparency and accountability on the school board.

She may have a tough path ahead of her, balancing her job with the Department of Defense and her school board duties if elected, but it's workload she says she can handle because of a work ethic she's had for as long as she can remember.

"If I'm going to sit down with something, I'm going to sit down with it until it's done right. I don't like it halfway done," she said.

Ratnam sees herself as a person who always has an eye out for improvement. To her, a desire for improvement means an open mind for ideas.

"I'm the kind of person who likes to look for ideas," Ratnam said. "I want to understand what else is out there. I want to see what else we can do to benefit our children."

And that's the attitude she thinks the Fairfax County School Board should have in order to continue improving upon itself.

"We have a great reputation in Fairfax County. But let's not rest on our laurels," Ratnam said. "Let's do what we can and stay at the top and be the school system that everybody looks at and wants to be like."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Oakton