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Melinda Lincoln-Richardson
Melinda Lincoln-Richardson was a candidate for the Powhatan District on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. She lost election to incumbent Joe Fuentes on November 5, 2013.
Biography
Lincoln-Richardson served as a professor of Communication with the University of Maryland University College and Thomas Nelson Community College at the time of her candidacy. She is retired from Federal service, where she was previously an Education Program Specialist with the U.S. Department of Education and as a Senior Assistant Ombudsman and a Senior Policy Advisor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties. She is married with six children.[1]
Elections
2013
Results
| Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, Powhatan District, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Joe Fuentes Incumbent |
74.3% | 3,118 | |
| Nonpartisan | Melinda Lincoln-Richardson | 25.1% | 1,053 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in Votes | 0.6% | 27 | |
| Total Votes | 4,198 | |||
| Source: James City County, Virginia, "November 2013 General Election Official Results," accessed December 12, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
Lincoln-Richardson was not endorsed in this campaign.
Funding
Lincoln-Richardson reported $565.50 in contributions and $565.50 in expenditures to the Virginia State Board of Elections.[2]
Campaign themes
Lincoln-Richardson stated the following in an October interview as the major issues facing the district:[1]
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Three major issues currently addressing the school district are: academic achievement, teacher to pupil ratio in the classroom, and the emphasis of administrative importance over education. I believe, as a school district, we must return to the basic values of education, including early identification of under-achievers and develop a better approach to maintaining their attention and eagerness to participate in education. As educators, we need to make learning interesting, progressive, and applicable to real life situations. Because our SOL scores have dropped dramatically and our sub groups, reflecting ethnicity and disability, have decreased in comparison scores with other public school districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the WJC school system must work to achieve better than a minimum rating. We are not getting the value in our education that we should in terms of the taxpayer dollars per student we receive. How much is WJC paying per student for education compared with the better SOL performing school districts in the Commonwealth? Why are our expectations of our school system less than other school districts? Why do we accept less and pay more? Teachers achieve their best performance and effective learning results when addressing smaller size classes. I believe an increase in the number of qualified educators is needed with equally qualified assistants in every classroom. Educators do not have sufficient time to tailor education for thirty or more students. Educators must address individual learning needs and maximize learning potential for each student within a minimum amount of time daily to overfull classes. Also, administration staffing is top heavy, including coaching executives and consulting studies. We need to focus on effectively increasing contact between educators/teachers and our students. Teachers provide the needed learning, promote student interaction, and provide the expansion and application of critical thinking skills in our children. Teachers are the driving force of education and need the resources (smaller class size, qualified assistants, and learning resource tools) to effectively reach the students and build an articulated learning level from one year to the next, building on previously demonstrated knowledge and new learning techniques. Building a new administration building, for $8.5 M, as recommended by the administration, will not increase learning in the classroom. I consider a new administration building as an example of fiscal irresponsibility at this point in the economy. Monies can be better allocated for needed educational development and resources for our teachers and our students in the classrooms. The WJC Schools must not only achieve the minimum Standards of Learning, established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, for all school districts, but show consistent improvement in student learning for our children, as well. |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Melinda + Lincoln-Richardson + Williamsburg + James + City + County + Public + Schools"
See also
- Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
- Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
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