Welcome
Melinda Mansfield Democrat for Loudoun County School Board - Dulles
Melinda has a proven track record of making positive changes in the educational system.
Since 2016, Melinda has worked to improve literacy screening, instruction, intervention, teacher prep, parent engagement, curriculum and data transparency by helping to write and advocate for literacy laws in the Commonwealth.
The Platform
Melinda was an LCPS parent of a child with dyslexia. She is a current literacy tutor, a former educator and music therapist with a robust knowledge base and well-rounded approach to working collaboratively.
Legislative Accomplishments
- 2016 HB842: Bill requires a 40-minute teacher training module on dyslexia attached to state licensure.
- 2017 SB1516: Bill directs all districts with a reading specialist to designate one as a dyslexia advisor, acting as an expert for the district.
- 2018 SB368: Bill directs all VA reading specialist higher education programs to include coursework on dyslexia.
- 2019 SB1718: Bill to include a RAN to the VA PALS literacy screener converted to a workgroup to study literacy screeners with reporting to the General Assembly on December 1, 2019. Melinda also served on the VDOE workgroup.
- 2020 HB410: Bill directs each local school board to enact a policy to require that timely written notification is provided to the parents results of a literacy screening and planned intervention.
- 2020 SB904: Bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to facilitate the development of a statewide coalition of public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth
- 2021 HB1865: Bill requires reading intervention services for students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the SOL reading test or any reading diagnostic test that meets criteria established by the Department of Education to be evidence-based and grounded in the science of reading. Parental notification of intervention must be made in a timely manner.
- 2022 HB418: Bill removes Reading Recovery from the list of programs and initiatives for which school boards may use at-risk add-on funds.
- 2022 HB419: Requires each VA education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education to include a program of coursework and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction. The VDOE will audit each program, at least every seven years, to ensure compliance.
- 2023 HB2137: Requires each divisionwide literacy plan to be submitted to the Department of Education and to identify which core literacy curricula, supplemental instructional practices and programs, and intervention programs from the list developed by the Department or alternative programs approved by the Department that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction and align with science-based reading research will be used in each grade level, kindergarten through 12, at each of the schools within such school division. The bill requires each local school board to post, maintain, and update as necessary on such school board's website a copy of its divisionwide literacy plan and the job description and contact information for any reading specialist employed by such school division pursuant to relevant law and for any dyslexia specialist employed by such school division. The bill requires the Department to post each divisionwide literacy plan on its website.
Get Involved
Melinda will work to ensure that every single child regardless of income, race, disability, gender or religion who attend our public schools has access to the best instruction that aligns with current science and research.