Happy New (School) Year!
by Jim Groth, CTA Director, District P, & Chula Vista Elementary School District

Hello, SDEA, and Happy New (School) Year. As with every new school
year, you will find changes. This school year is no different. While
you are working with new students, new principals, new curriculum, or
a new site, your new CTA leadership will be working on an
ever-changing landscape of change.

I am Jim Groth, your newly-elected CTA Board of Director for District
P, covering all of San Diego City schools, San Diego south-, east-,
Imperial-county districts. I have taught upper grades in the Chula
Vista Elementary School District since 1975. Most recently, I have
served as the full-time release president for Chula Vista Educators,
representing over 1,300 bargaining unit members in the largest K-6
district in California.

My election in June provides SDEA its first CTA Board member in
nearly 30 years that is not from SDEA. I can assure SDEA members
that I am not a stranger to your tremendous organization. As a San
Diego County CTA leader, I have worked with SDEA leadership on many
projects since 1989. And yes, I lived through the Bersin years with
my wife Karen, who teaches at Tierrasanta Elementary!

Visibility is my first goal as your new CTA Board Member. Along with
SDEA President Camille Zombro and SDEA leadership, I plan on visiting
school sites to learn more about the successes and challenges facing
SDEA members on a daily basis. The better the understanding I have of
your concerns, the better I can represent you at the CTA level.

Another goal is to work closely with the seven Quality Education
Investment Act (QEIA) schools in San Diego. These schools are Edison
Elementary, Emerson/Bandini Elementary, Encanto Elementary, Marshall
Elementary, Mann School of Expedition, Montgomery Middle, and
Roosevelt Middle. QEIA is the CTA-endorsed, state-funded program
created to bring effective changes to school sites across all of
California. This seven-year program provides a tremendous opportunity
for education reform.

Finally, in my election campaign I shared my concerns on charter
schools, CTA state and national political endorsements, and election
reform within CTA. I will share additional information on these
topics in future months.

Finally, thank you to SDEA leadership and state council
representatives for your support in my election. Representing the
membership of SDEA is a challenge I accept. It is a new year and
changes abound.

- CTA Board Member Jim Groth
Email- Jgroth@cta.org 619.479.4702 or through the SDEA office.