Meet James Martin
James Martin has spent nearly three decades serving Utah's public schools — as a teacher, a principal, a union leader, a state specialist, and a community arts advocate. He's running for the Utah State Board of Education because he's lived the work, and he knows it can be done better.
James Martin grew up right here in Utah — born in Bountiful, raised in Salt Lake, a proud East High Leopard. He went on to Westminster College for his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, then to the University of Utah for a Master of Teaching and Learning and a Doctorate of Educational Leadership and Policy. Most recently he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from the University of Idaho.
Over 28 years, James taught kindergarten, first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. He understands — from the inside — what it feels like to stand in front of a classroom full of kids and take responsibility for their growth, their safety, and their love of learning.
Over 28 years, James taught kindergarten, first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. He understands — from the inside — what it feels like to stand in front of a classroom full of kids and take responsibility for their growth, their safety, and their love of learning.
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James's career took him far beyond the classroom. He served as a school principal and assistant principal, a principal supervisor, and an education specialist at the Utah State Board of Education itself — giving him a rare, end-to-end view of how policy gets made and what it looks like on the ground.
As a UEA Board member representing the Salt Lake, Tooele, and Murray education associations, and as an NEA State Director, James carried Utah educators' voices to Washington D.C. multiple times a year. He knows how to advocate — and who he's advocating for. He has published on psychological safety in school workplaces and the importance of coaching support for principals. His scholarship and his practice have always pointed the same direction: invest in people, and schools thrive. James lives in Murray with his 22-year-old son. He recently retired from full-time work to care for his 88-year-old father, who is living with dementia — a reminder, if one were needed, that family and community come first. He has three dogs, two cats, a stack of books on the nightstand, and a deep, abiding belief that Utah's public schools can be something to be genuinely proud of. |
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The Utah State Board of Education should be focused on students, teachers, and learning. Instead, recent years have brought a steady drift toward political posturing — rewriting standards to fit ideological agendas, stripping equity from the Board's own mission and vision, undermining teacher protections, and micromanaging the very staff whose expertise the Board should be leaning on.
James has spent 28 years in and around these systems. He knows what gets lost when policy is driven by politics instead of pedagogy. And he's ready to do something about it.
James has spent 28 years in and around these systems. He knows what gets lost when policy is driven by politics instead of pedagogy. And he's ready to do something about it.