For 44 years, Brian Patrick has been an educator.

Starting as a student in a one room schoolhouse, he began teaching history and French in Townsend in 1981.

While in Townsend, he served as the head girls basketball coach from 1982-88 and the team finished fourth in the state in 1987.

Patrick moved to serve as principal and athletics director for four years at Powder River County District Schools, then two years there as superintendent.

He returned to Townsend to serve as superintendent for 16 years, during which time he received the 2007 G.V. Erickson Award, which is given to the school administrator who has made the greatest contribution to the betterment of education in Montana.

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As Townsend superintendent, Patrick served as president of the School Administrators of Montana for the 2008-2009 school year.

This summer, he’s retiring as the business operations director for Great Falls Public Schools, a position he’s held since 2011.

Growing up in a large family on a wheat farm, Patrick knew he wanted to be a teacher and a coach. He received a basketball scholarship that helped pay for education at Western Montana College, where he graduated with a degree in history and social science with a minor in French

Deciding to retire wasn’t easy and “you can work forever,” but Patrick wants to use the rest of his healthy years to do some other things.

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He’ll still be involved in Great Falls, remaining on the board of the Great Falls Area Community Foundation and walking his Great Pyrenees on the River’s Edge Trail.

Patrick was always interested in history and U.S. history was probably his favorite component. He’s enjoyed trips to Washington, D.C. over the year

Always liked history, and U.S. history was probably his favorite component, enjoyed trips to D.C. seeing the monuments, historic buildings and considering the impact of those people and places.

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After teaching for awhile, Patrick decided he wanted to expand his career so began taking administration courses and found his time as a school administrator “very rewarding.”

Reflecting on a 44 year career in education, he reflected on some notable moments.

He said the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 forced educators to do things differently, but also focused on subgroups of students to make sure they were also performing and bring them up if they weren’t.

“It was good introspection of how we educate all kids,” Patrick said.

Funding has always been an issue and always will be, but teachers deserve to be paid well.

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“The COVID experience was a unique one,” again forcing educators, and most people, to analyze how they did everything and change everything.

But he said GFPS used the COVID relief funds wisely, foreseeing some issues and investing in those areas rather than hiring a bunch of staff they knew they wouldn’t be able to keep when those funds were depleted.

Coming to GFPS after being superintendent in a small district, where the superintendent has to do everything, was valuable experience.

“Understanding the landscape is a help,” Patrick said.

One thing that’s changed over the years is school safety.

He said schools used to be open public places and anyone was welcome to walk in, but there was a rapid shift as school safety became a heightened concern “for good reason.”

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Schools will continue to evolve, Patrick said, but “the goal is always to educate every student to the best of their ability.”

When Patrick started in that one-room schoolhouse, cell phones didn’t exist.

“Our job is to teach kids how to learn,” Patrick said, and the focus is “how can we send kids out into the world where they will continue to learn and adapt.”

A proud accomplishment is the annual budget book that’s given to the board, and available on the GFPS website.

It’s a comprehensive look at the school system, and information Patrick said he refers to daily, such an enrollment numbers, levy histories, employment, the funds that comprise the budget, federal programs, tax credits, a history of school finance laws, acronyms defined and more.

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“If I’ve been asked something more than once, I put it in the book,”Patrick said.

(The Electric gets an annual copy and keeps it within reach, along with the city budget book)

GFPS Superintendent Heather Hoyer said other districts often call asking how the budget book is compiled.

The 2016 school facility bond “couldn’t have been better timed,” he said, as contractors wanted work so they sharpened their pencils, helping GFPS to get many projects accomplished including construction of new two elementary schools and additions to two high schools.

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To that work today would be double the cost, Patrick said.

“It couldn’t have been a sweeter spot,” he said.

As he prepares to bid farewell to GFPS, he said he has appreciated the team of “very dedicated” people over the years at the district office, staff, teachers and the school board.

“Great Falls is lucky to have so many amazing people that do a great job every day,” he said. “Can we get better? Always. The goal is always to get better.”

As a school administrator, Patrick said, “when you come to work every morning, you have no idea how your day is going to play out, there can be a million curves, anything can happen at any time.”

Looking at retirement, Patrick will miss everything.

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“I’m wired to get here at 7 in the morning and work through to 5,” he said, and it will be tough to go cold turkey into retirement.

“There’s not a lot I don’t like about my job. I enjoy interacting with people and the challenge of making things better.”

Hoyer said she’s planning to begin the process of finding Patrick’s replacement next week.

“It’s huge shoes to fill. Brian does so much more than just the budget,” she said.

In his role, Patrick also oversees buildings and grounds, transportation, school safety, food service and the audit process.

Depending on the hiring process and timing, Hoyer said that hopefully the new business operations director can have some time working alongside Patrick to learn the ropes before he’s done at the end of June.

“Brian is still, to this day, a teacher,” Hoyer said, in how he presents the budget to the board and community. “He never stops teaching. He will be missed.

In retirement, he’s planning to spend more time with his four children:

• a daughter who works at Showdown and lives in Great Falls
• a son who teaches in Townsend
• a daughter who is a paralegal for the State Fund
• a son who is a paralegal for a Missoula law firm

They’ll also likely visit San Antonio since they’re big Spurs fans after spending time there while his daughter went to school in the area.

“My career has been an interesting one,” Patrick said, but it’s come full circle in a way since he started a school radio station with students in 2004 and now gets to listen to his son’s Townsend basketball games broadcast by that station.