Rocklin School Board Races 2026: Parental Notification Policy Splits Six Candidates Across Three Seats

Rocklin Unified has a reputation for strong schools and quiet school board elections. This fall, one of those things is changing. The district’s parental notification policy, passed in 2023, is still tied up in court, and it sits at the center of three trustee races on the November 3 ballot covering Areas 2, 4, and 5.

The headliner is Area 2, where two incumbents are running against each other. Tiffany Saathoff voted for the notification policy; Michelle Sutherland voted against it. In Area 4, an open seat, Rebecca Hoehne and Steve Makis are both first-time candidates. Area 5 incumbent Dereck Counter faces first-time challenger Jacob Boyce. The races are nonpartisan on paper, but the endorsements split cleanly: the Placer County Republican Party backing one slate, the Placer County Democratic Party and the Rocklin teachers union backing the other.

Rocklin voters will also decide Measure D, a school bond aimed at aging campuses, which could get overshadowed by the louder debate. Candidates largely agree the district teaches kids well. They disagree about whether the board’s last few years deserve protection or a course correction, and that disagreement is what this election is really about. Who are you backing on November 3?