SDUT Interview — Jay Steiger for Grossmont Union High School Board

San Diego Union-Tribune Q&A with Jay Steiger By Kristen Taketa | PUBLISHED: October 6, 2024: Link

Jay Steiger, a public school teacher in Poway Unified School District, is running for the Area 2 seat on the Grossmont Union High School District board of trustees.

The San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates running for school board in districts around San Diego County about their policies, plans and priorities. Here’s what Steiger told us about his.

Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate?

Running for the school board is a continuation of what I do in the classroom; this is to provide the best possible education to our young people to help them build key academic skills, learn to use critical thinking, show respect to others and prepare for opportunities in their adult lives. As a parent, teacher and longtime community volunteer, I bring life experience that gives me a strong foundation for service on the board. I understand the interconnection of classroom, school site and district operations and teach a diverse group of students every day.

My service on the bond oversight committees for the Grossmont and La Mesa Spring Valley districts and also the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group has provided me with important information about school and community infrastructure and good governance procedures.

What is the most important issue currently facing your school district?

While the state budget presents concerns regarding district financing, the ongoing need to address and reduce COVID learning loss is critical. The subgroups most affected are the same as from the so-called achievement gap — students with low socio-economic status, English language learners and children of color. We must do everything possible to support bringing students up to grade level in the core academic skills of reading, mathematics and writing.

What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board?

Work consistently to reduce learning loss and improve academic success. Invest in proven methods to help students build core skills in reading, math and writing.Build a culture of respect and inclusion. All students and staff know they are welcome, included and appreciated for who they are. Pair this with rebuilding trust between the board and both staff and students. Transparency, communications and accountability always.Build stronger ties between GUHSD, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and the K-8 districts that educate students before high school. Many of our students take advantage of dual-enrollment and post-high school community college courses for career technical education and to prepare for transfer to a university. The lines of communication and collaboration should be strong and mutually supporting. Ninth-grade teachers should also have regular paid meeting time with eighth-grade teachers to ensure middle-school students are ready for high school.

What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall?

As a parent representative, I served on the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District budget committee for several years. This experience provided me with knowledge and experience for district budgeting. Districts must maintain a sound financial balance, but the money allocated by the state and federal government has been consistently inadequate for the real costs of educating our youth. Most of the budget will be spent on those who most directly educate students, the teachers. In addition, having necessary school site and district staff is critical to effective school operations.

While these are large overall costs, schools simply cannot function without teachers and staff. If there are reductions, protect the classrooms while respecting staff positions. If major reductions are needed, involve all stakeholders in a comprehensive review of spending so that a transparent and respectful process can be reached. Spend reserves carefully but purposefully to maintain staffing during difficult times.

How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that?

Focus on what has been shown to be most effective and commit to long-term implementation. At the school level, a relevant and engaging curriculum and instructional methods that blend rigor with active student participation and choice have been shown to be more effective for student interest and learning.

High-quality tutoring programs can help with below-grade academic knowledge and skills. Programs that emphasize good personal and study habits, such as the AVID program, are very helpful in building things like organizational skills, boosting memory, time management and improving applied self-confidence. In addition, studies have shown that reduced screen time, proper sleep, a good diet and exercise are crucial for sustained academic success.

School boards should support a modern curriculum and teaching methods. They should also invest in high-quality tutoring and programs to directly involve students in good personal and academic habits.

Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not?

There are procedures in place to review and recommend books for school libraries and curricula. While the board has the final say, they should be respectful of library and education professionals who read and assess materials. The American Library Association, for example, compiles extensive lists of books by age and grade appropriateness.

An important consideration is having materials that are reflective of the student population and engaging to those same students. Great works of older literature are part of the catalog, but newer works are included to reflect the student population.

There may be cases where a current or suggested book or course of study is found to be questionable by experts. However, inappropriate should be defined narrowly by a broad consensus. While individual parents may choose to not allow their child to read certain materials, they don’t have the right to deny everyone else access to the same materials.

What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it?

Chronic absenteeism is a complex issue and has become more acute since COVID. Data compiled by the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that the groups with some of the highest rates of chronic absenteeism are from African American, Latino/a, low socio-economic and English learner communities.

Focusing on responses, research shows that support for things like transportation assistance, family needs, mental health and academic assistance are more beneficial than punishments for students or parents. Additionally, districts that have invested in direct personal outreach to students and parents have greater success in reducing absenteeism than those who do not engage in direct outreach.

The Grossmont district should partner with social services through both the County of San Diego and community organizations to offer appropriate supports and wraparound services wherever possible. Messaging should be helpful and welcoming but can also emphasize the importance of graduation toward future adult success.

Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not?

Schools should partner and collaborate with parents whenever possible. A relationship of trust is enormously beneficial to students, and teachers want to work with parents to support their children. Teachers must also watch out for the safety of their students. Unfortunately, not all students have parents who would show acceptance for discussions of gender or LGBTQ+ identity.

Student safety and mental health is critical. If a student discloses identity information and does not want parents informed, it is important to maintain trust. I would oppose schools mandating notification for these reasons.

Even under the new legislation, AB1955, teachers can still decide to notify if they have urgent concerns about student self-harm. The key difference is it is not a district mandate and respects the relationships of trust that are essential to teacher student communications. I take this very seriously and, like many of my colleagues, have been entrusted by students with personal information many times.