James Martin is a candidate for State Board of Education, District 7. The ballot lists James Martin, Democratic. The district covers all or part of Salt Lake County.
James Martin's campaign describes a 28-year education career that includes elementary teaching, principal and assistant-principal positions, principal supervision and work as a Utah State Board of Education specialist. He says he taught grades ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade and represented educators through Utah Education Association and National Education Association leadership roles. [1]
His campaign lists an elementary-education bachelor's degree from Westminster College, graduate degrees in teaching and educational leadership from the University of Utah, and an MFA in theatre arts from the University of Idaho. It also describes long-running involvement with Wasatch Theatre Company. These are candidate-supplied biographical details. [1]
Arts, teacher autonomy and public schools
Martin's platform emphasizes arts education, adequate public-school funding, professional autonomy for teachers and greater reliance on USBE staff expertise. He says arts programs should be available throughout a child's education rather than treated as expendable when budgets tighten. [2]
He also supports early-childhood education, mental-health resources, social and emotional learning, restorative practices and measures of student progress that extend beyond standardized testing. His critique is that state board decisions have become too political and too focused on compliance; that is his campaign's assessment, not a neutral finding about every board action. [2]
What he told voters in October 2026
In the Salt Lake Tribune's October 12 questionnaire, Martin said shrinking enrollment in some communities requires careful review of resources and collaboration with families and educators. He opposed public funding for private education and argued that local communities should have more control over challenged books. [3]
He also said immigration enforcement should stay away from schools, opposed third-grade retention in the survey's yes-or-no question and supported a bell-to-bell cellphone ban. These are his stated campaign positions. They should not be read as votes he has cast on the state board. [3]
The seat and policy responsibilities
Martin is running against incumbent Erin Longacre in District 7. The Tribune identifies the district's communities as Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights and Alta. This is a contest for the state board, rather than a local school district's governing board. [3]
USBE rules distinguish statewide core standards from curriculum selected by local education agencies. That division matters when evaluating a candidate's proposals about what Utah students learn and how schools teach it. [4]
Profile sources
Profile refreshed October 20, 2026. Candidate statements describe the candidate's own experience or positions; official records and reporting are labeled separately.