Jay Steiger
From Ballotpedia
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Jay Steiger ran for election to the Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees to represent Area 2 in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Steiger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Steiger has served as president of the PTA and as chairperson for the La Mesa-Spring Valley District Advisory Council (DAC). He has also served on the School Site Council, Prop M and Prop U Citizens Bond Oversight Committees, La Mesa-Spring Valley Budget Study and 20/20 Vision Committees, Casa De Oro Community Alliance, La Mesa AYSO Soccer, and La Mesa National Little League. He has two children, both of whom attended school in the district.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Grossmont Union High School District, California, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees Area 2
Scott Eckert defeated Jay Steiger, Jim Stieringer, and Marsha Christman in the general election for Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees Area 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Scott Eckert (Nonpartisan)  | 36.6 | 14,768 |
 | Jay Steiger (Nonpartisan) | 33.9 | 13,645 | |
 | Jim Stieringer (Nonpartisan) | 19.8 | 7,980 | |
| Marsha Christman (Nonpartisan) | 9.7 | 3,914 | ||
| Total votes: 40,307 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Steiger received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Steiger's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
2016
Two of the five seats on the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In her bid for re-election, incumbent Emma Turner ran against former school board member Jerry Lecko and challengers Jim Long and Jay Steiger.[2] Turner won re-election, and Long won the other seat on the ballot.[3]
Results
| La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Emma Turner Incumbent |
29.12% | 19,771 |
| Jim Long |
25.64% | 17,405 |
| Jerry Lecko | 23.98% | 16,281 |
| Jay Steiger | 21.25% | 14,429 |
| Total Votes | 67,886 | |
| Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election - Tuesday, November 8, 2016," accessed December 9, 2016 | ||
Funding
Steiger reported $3,974.00 in contributions and $3,974.00 in expenditures to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Steiger was endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:[5][6][1]
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Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jay Steiger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Steiger's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a parent, teacher, community volunteer, and near life long resident of the Grossmont district. I attended Grossmont schools as did my own children. I care deeply about our community and have been volunteering with educational, community, and youth groups for nearly 20 years. I have served as a PTA president, District Advisory Council chair, and youth soccer coach. I was a past chair for the Grossmont district Citizens Bond Oversight Committee and am the current chair for the La Mesa Spring Valley CBOC. I also currently serve as the vice-chair for the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group.
As a public school teacher I understand both the essential role of education for our youth and the challenges teacher and school staff face on a daily basis. Strong schools build a strong community and it is important that the school board is always transparent, accountable, builds trust, and demonstrates principles of good governance.
I am honored to be the only candidate endorsed by both Grossmont Teachers and Staff organizations. In addition, I have been endorsed by the current GUHSD trustee for my area, Elva Salinas, trustee Chris Fite, Grossmont Cuyamaca College Trustees Justeson and Schorr, La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis, La Mesa Firefighters, LMSV Schools Trustees Coston and Tiffany, Rep Sara Jacobs, Senator Toni Atkins, Assemblymembers Weber and Ward, IBEW 569, SD and Imperial Counties Labor Council, and San Diego County Democratic Party, among others.- Take extremist politics out of schools. All students and staff are included and respected at all times. Keep the board transparent, accountable, building trust, and practicing good governance. Actively support mental health and student engagement programs and ensure that our schools are safe to protect both students and staff.
- Work consistently to reduce Covid learning loss. Use proven methods to provide academic and mental health supports for all students. Provide a strong curriculum that includes both rigorous academics and career technical opportunities for students interested in college or a direct career skills path.
- Build strong ties with both the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and the local K-8 districts to help ensure that students arrive with the skills they need to succeed in high school and have choice and opportunity for college and career classes at our community colleges.
Public education provides one of the most powerful opportunities for advancement in society and I am dedicated to ensuring that our schools provide a high quality education with policy and curriculum driven by proven data and student interest. Student and staff safety is an absolutely essential element of our schools and we need to ensure that schools are physically safe and have programs to protect our students online and in social spaces as well.
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an outstanding narrative of the political life of Abraham Lincoln. His ability to work with those he had disagreements with for a greater good is an impressive inspiration for our modern challenges.
Additionally, The Unwinding, by George Packer is a fascinating analysis of modern America and navigating our national differences and similarities.
Additionally, The Unwinding, by George Packer is a fascinating analysis of modern America and navigating our national differences and similarities.
Elected officials should be honest, ethical, and transparent. Consider data, concerns, and opportunities, and make decisions in the best interest of community and constituents. In the case of school board members, this means a priority for the best interests of students and staff.
As a community volunteer and teacher, I work to find points of agreement with others. We can have respectful disagreements but should always see the humanity in others and seek our common ground.
I believe in listening first, considering information, and then speaking later.
While governance is serious, I also try to find humor in situations. Laughter and a smile can help bridge problems and allow people to find resolutions.
Work to support the students and staff of the district. Ensure quality curriculum and educational opportunities. Provide a school environment that makes the district a sought after educational destination for parents and a well regarded provider of future employees and post secondary students in college and career training programs. Recruit and retain high quality teachers and staff by providing a generous contract, demonstrated respect for their work, and a positive and energetic school environment.
Serving the students, teachers, staff, and community to the best of my ability. Leave the district in a stronger position than when I first took office. Viewed as a person of integrity.
Oversee the overall operation of the district on a yearly basis. Review the annual budget to match need and priorities. Collaborate with stakeholders to help set the districts educational vision and guiding principles. Listen to ideas and concerns from administration, teachers, staff, students, and members of the community. Engage in personal education for best practices of governance, school operations., and teaching.
The students are the main constituents because they need principled adults to represent their best interests. The district must also be connecting with parents, because a strong student, parent, teacher partnership brings success in academics and student life. The teachers and staff are also primary constituents because they provide the education to the students. The community at large is important because they are taxpayers, employers, and provide opportunities for community service partnerships to better serve our youth.
Demonstrate a respectful and welcoming school environment at all times. Ensure that curriculum and educational resources match the diversity of the area. Provide resources for cultural enrichment activities. Use data to drive response to student, staff, and community needs.
There are opportunities to better support our student and parent populations by connecting with both county services and non profits in the area. Student and parent healthcare, child care, housing, and employment are all key needs that can be addressed through stronger connections with government and non-profit services.
Students are all future job innovators or employees, and we should be building connections with local businesses to discover what skills and abilities are most needed in our modern economy. This data can help the district adjust curriculum and course offerings to best prepare our youth for future employment.
Students are all future job innovators or employees, and we should be building connections with local businesses to discover what skills and abilities are most needed in our modern economy. This data can help the district adjust curriculum and course offerings to best prepare our youth for future employment.
Each teacher and each student is different and these differences must be respected. There is not a one size fits all approach to teaching. The goal is always student engagement and progress. A classroom which provides a mix of student voice, some choice in assignment and demonstration of knowledge, and academic rigor adjusted for the individual has been shown to promote success. Promote teacher interest in continuing education and collaboration by offering financial incentives. My own district, Poway Unified, provides a salary increase for participating in district teacher and staff led education and enrichment programs.
Build stronger ties with our community colleges for both academic and career technical education. Form more partnerships with apprenticeship and other on the job training programs for students who would prefer to follow a career technical pathway rather than college to career. Engage with business community to identify which skills and abilities are most needed by employers. Adjust school course offerings to boost these skills as needed. Ensure strong skills in reading, writing, and essential math for all students. Offer relevant life skills to match real world adulthood. Highlight importance of building knowledge and not just job skills. Society needs thinkers who have a depth of awareness and a curiosity about their world.
Ensure that district spending meets the educational needs of students but is always efficient and mindful of budget limits. Advocate with the state for changing the funding mechanism from daily attendance to enrollment. Advocate with the federal government to provide additional funding as they did during COVID. During this time, schools approached a level of needed funding for their programs rather basing programs on the inadequate pre-COVID amounts.
Schools should be both physically safe and have programs to ensure online and social environment safety. The district should review infrastructure and school environment safety on a continual basis. It is likely that a future bond measure will be needed to improve the safety of physical school sites. Additionally, partnerships with first responders should be a priority. These agencies should be granted access to the schools during non student times so they can practice drills and become familiar with the buildings and site.
Ensure that individual schools have necessary counseling and psychologist staff. Promote peer to peer connection and support programs. Review partner organizations effectiveness on a yearly basis to make sure that the district is contracting with the most effective programs possible to help students.
For teachers and staff, promote a respectful and supportive school and district environment. Provide high quality benefits which include good mental health and counseling support for those who need it. Provide staff personnel for on site support. Promote an environment of mutual assistance instead of individualism.
For teachers and staff, promote a respectful and supportive school and district environment. Provide high quality benefits which include good mental health and counseling support for those who need it. Provide staff personnel for on site support. Promote an environment of mutual assistance instead of individualism.
The board should pass a statement of unequivocal support for inclusion and respect for all students and staff. No excluding or marginalizing based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or LGBTQ+ identification or orientation.
Properly staff district Special Education, Teacher Support, Title I, District Safety, and other departments harmed by layoffs in June 2024.
End excessive use of closed sessions for board meetings. Only use when legally needed.
Respect teacher and librarian requests for diverse and inclusive materials for libraries and classrooms.
Grossmont Education Association, GUHSD Trustees Elva Salinas and Chris Fite, GCCCD Trustees Justeson and Schorr, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, Grossmont District SEIU 221, La Mesa Firefighters, San Diego County Democratic Party, Representative Sara Jacobs, State Senator Toni Atkins, Assemblymembers Weber and Ward, SDUSD Trustees Hazen and Petterson, La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis, La Mesa Councilmembers Dillard, Shu, and Parent, La Mesa Treasurer Strabone, Lemon Grove Councilmembers Gastil, Mendoza, and Snow, San Diego Building Trades, IBEW 569, Carpenters 619, LiUNA, Helix Water District Directors Gracyk and Damsky, San Diego County Young Democrats, Democrats for Environmental Action, Safer CA.
As a teacher myself, I base my learning environment on evidence, which shows that a mix of student voice, choice, and participation with academic information to build both knowledge and key skills in reading, writing, and critical analysis generates success and engagement. Each class and each teacher is different as is each student, and this should always be respected. The goal is an engaging classroom with rich opportunities for individualized student progress and learning.
The district worked to balance student and staff safety with opportunities to return to classroom instruction instead of virtual. The district should review data about what worked and what did not from schools across the country and form plans should we face another pandemic in the future. We now know how to set up virtual instruction should we need to stay away from others, but we also know that this is not an ideal learning environment for many. Determining how to improve engagement and results for any future virtual instruction should be based on carefully considered data.
Listen first and ask questions to identify suggestions and true concerns. Hold conversations both in person and virtually to build transparency and accountability. If elected I plan to hold monthly office hours as an opportunity for parents, students, staff, or members of the community to meet and ask questions.
Parents connect most strongly with their child's school site, not the district. Use this school level connection as the starting point for broader conversations about education in our region.
Parents connect most strongly with their child's school site, not the district. Use this school level connection as the starting point for broader conversations about education in our region.
Demonstrate respect to our district and school teachers and staff. Show that the board is trustworthy, transparent, and accountable. Provide a generous contract. Do not ban books and materials that have been peer reviewed as age and grade appropriate or micro manage curriculum. Balance proven methods of teaching with new innovations in technology and instructions.
Elected officials and government agencies should be transparent and accountable. Government finance is not a simple process, but both the employees and general public should be able to clearly access important spending information. Government agencies should be clear in their spending and priorities, answer questions, and avoid non-essential use of closed sessions for meetings.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jay Steiger participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 24, 2016:
| “ | Strong Schools = Strong Communities. If our schools are strong, our communities will thrive with higher property values, more business investment, and more jobs created. My core philosophies are to: 1) Prioritize Kids in Classrooms: Continue development and implementation of dynamic and engaging classroom education programs, including student teacher interactive technology. Refine Kempton Academy dual language immersion program and expand to other district schools. 2) Support Teachers in Classrooms: Boost opportunities and time for teacher professional development and learning, including use of Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) to foster collaboration on educational best practices and student achievement. 3) Engage Businesses and Community in Classroom Success: Increase outreach to business and residential community to highlight district activities and student accomplishments. Demonstrate value of schools to building strong communities.[7][8] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
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 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| “ | All of these issues are of high importance. This district has a comprehensive curriculum which gives strong preparation for high school and beyond. Continued improvement to this can and should be done, but first we need to ensure that ALL children are succeeding in our schools. Close the achievement gap and improve education for special needs students.[8] | ” |
| —Jay Steiger (October 24, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. Yes, if appropriate, offering a strong educational program, and properly reviewed by district administration and the board. Charters are a legitimate part of public education. However, they must also be held to standards of performance and fiscal and organizational management. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. The state can set broad policies and guidelines but must allow for local customization and control. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized testing has a role within elementary and secondary education. It can be useful for gathering generalized data for student group progress. However, there has been too much emphasis on using testing as the primary measure of both district and teacher effectiveness. The reality is much more complex and the focus should not be on test preparation, but continual and individualized education. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Common Core is simply a set of guidelines. It is a tool in the educational toolkit. How effective it may, or may not, be depends on a district and individual teacher. The instructional materials will need years of review to ensure that any needed revisions are implemented. The emphasis on critical thinking and evidence based reasoning, is a very positive element in encouraging children to think rather than just repeat answers. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. I support excellent pay and benefits for teachers. This is a craft of skill, not simply a job. The idea of rewarding some over others, adds too much of an element of competition rather than collaboration. The classroom is not the same as a corporate office and education is not like creating a new car or smartphone. Teaching will improve through teachers working together in partnership. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Minimally, only for the most serious offenses. A diversion program, seeking to identify the root causes and appropriate responses, including restorative justice, is a much better overall approach to discipline. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers All of these are part of how students can best succeed in the classroom. Smaller numbers of students per teacher, a solid and tested curriculum, regular parent engagement, and a supportive school and district administration will boost results. At the core, however, the teacher, directly working with students will have the greatest impact on children learning. |
Campaign statement
Steiger provided the following statement about his campaign:
| “ | I am a parent of two children who attended LM-SV Schools and I have over eleven years experience as a school, district, and community volunteer. Among these valuable experiences are classroom volunteer, PTA President, Chairperson for the LM-SV District Advisory Council (DAC), School Site Council, Prop M and Prop U Citizens Bond Oversight Committees, LM-SV Budget Study and 20/20 Vision Committees, Casa De Oro Community Alliance, La Mesa AYSO Soccer, and La Mesa National Little League.
I will keep the focus on a comprehensive means tested and dynamic curriculum which includes language arts, math, science, social science, arts, and exposure to foreign language. I support educational standards which seek to build critical thinking and analytical skills in students. I also believe in careful budgeting with regular comprehensive audits and transparency. Both my parents were teachers and I believe that the school district must continue to show support for the dedicated teachers and hardworking staff. As a parent I will always be open to listening to the concerns and thoughts of my fellow parents. Fully engaging parents will increase student success and also strengthen the district. Thank you, Jay[8] |
” |
| —Jay Steiger (2016)[1] | ||
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees Area 2 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Jay Steiger," October 24, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate List: 2016 General Election," accessed August 19, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County, "Presidential General Election - Tuesday, November 8, 2016," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "CampaignDocs eRetrieval: Search by Candidate's Last Name," accessed February 24, 2017
- ↑ San Diego County Democratic Party, "Democratic Candidates 2016," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Jay Steiger's responses," October 24, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
