Incumbents face new district-based races as voters consider school performance, facilities, leadership and a $288 million bond measure
Rocklin, Calif. (Rocklin Online) – Rocklin Unified School District voters will elect representatives for three school board seats at the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The 2026 race will complete Rocklin Unified’s transition from elections of its entire board by at-large vote to a five-trustee area system. Six candidates are running: incumbents Tiffany Saathoff and Michelle Sutherland for the Trustee Area 2 seat; Rebecca Hoehne and Steve Makis for Trustee Area 4; and incumbent Dereck Counter and challenger Jacob Boyce for Trustee Area 5. At stake in the election will be the future direction of the nearly 12,000-student district as it considers aging facilities, continued academic and career preparation, school safety, enrollment and a $288 million school facilities bond also on the ballot.
A unique Rocklin Unified school board election
The 2026 election is unique for Rocklin Unified because Areas 2, 4 and 5 are the last three seats being switched to Rocklin Unified’s trustee area system. Previously, trustees lived anywhere in the district and all voters could vote for every board seat. Under the new system, candidates must reside in the trustee area they wish to represent and voters in the trustee area elect its representative.
The board adopted Map 117 in May 2024 and Placer County Committee on School District Organization adopted the plan soon afterward. Areas 1 and 3 were elected by the new system in November 2024 and Areas 2, 4 and 5 follow on Nov. 3, 2026. The district emphasizes that trustee areas are election boundaries and do not affect schools attendance.
The election schedule means there is a unique situation developing in Area 2: two incumbents are vying for one trustee position. According to Placer County voter records, the trustees representing RUSD currently are Saathoff and Sutherland for Area 2, Julie Hupp for Area 1 and Rachelle Price for Area 3 until their terms expire in 2026; and Counter until 2028.
Trustee Area 2: Michelle Sutherland and Tiffany Saathoff – two incumbents vie for one seat
Incumbent Tiffany Saathoff serves as the current board vice president. She was first elected in November 2020 to the two-year seat with 18,730 votes and won reelection in 2022 districtwide election. According to Saathoff’s 2026 campaign biography, she attended Rocklin schools, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in child development from UC Davis, has lived in Rocklin for over 16 years, has experience in elementary and secondary school site councils, Leadership Rocklin and foster parenting. Academic performance, parent participation, school choice, college and career readiness and fiscal responsibility are the main priorities of her 2026 campaign.
Incumbent Michelle Sutherland is the current board clerk. She was elected to the board in 2022 receiving 11,344 votes and finishing second in the six-candidate race for three seats. Sutherland’s 2022 candidate statement described her as a Rocklin Unified graduate, behavior analyst who works in local high school classrooms and mother of students in RUSD schools. Prior to her board position, she reportedly served on a school PTC board, Rocklin city commission, Placer County Library Advisory Board and various RUSD committees. By the time of the 2026 election, she will have completed approximately four years as a trustee.
Both are incumbents, but only one of them will succeed as the Area 2 trustee under the new geographic election system.
Trustee Area 4: Rebecca Hoehne and Steve Makis run for the open seat
Rebecca Hoehne runs as a non-incumbent candidate for trustee. According to the Placer County candidate information, her ballot designation is “Teacher/Businesswoman/Mom.” According to her campaign bio, Hoehne is a credentialed teacher, small business owner and real estate professional as well as mother of three kids. Her 2026 campaign priorities include academic achievement, parental involvement, collaboration between families and schools and fiscal responsibility. She does not appear to have previously served on the Rocklin Unified Board of Trustees.
Steve Makis is also running as a non-incumbent trustee candidate. His Placer County ballot designation is “Parent/Territory Manager.” In the candidate campaign materials, Makis’ past community service includes being the City of Rocklin Parks and Recreation commissioner, chair and board member of the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce, Placer Valley Tourism board participant and Rocklin Youth Soccer board member. He has experience in budget management, risk management and long-range planning in his business endeavors. The priorities of his school board candidacy include student achievement, school safety, fiscal oversight and better communication between parents, educators and the district administration.
Therefore, Area 4 voters will get a choice between two candidates who have no prior trustee experience.
Trustee Area 5: Dereck Counter faces Jacob Boyce
Incumbent Dereck Counter seeks reelection after his first election in 2018 when he received 13,156 votes and reelection in 2022 with 11,248 votes. He will have completed approximately eight years as a trustee by the time of the 2026 election. According to Counter’s previous 2022 candidate statement, he was active in Rocklin youth organizations and emphasized school safety, academic achievement, college and career preparation and long-term fiscal sustainability in his board goals. According to his 2026 campaign bio, Dereck Counter is the Rocklin Pony Baseball coach.
Jacob Boyce is the challenger for the Area 5 trustee seat. According to Placer County candidate information, his ballot designation is “Parent/Data Analyst.” Besides, according to publicly available information, Boyce also has some education-governance experience not related to the elected RUSD board. Maria Montessori Charter Academy lists him as the vice president of its Board of Directors since January 2026. The academy is an independent, direct-funded public charter operating within the Rocklin Unified School District. He has not been an elected RUSD trustee before the 2026 race. At the time of this report, the publicly indexed candidate biographical material was less extensive for Boyce than for some of the other candidates.
Accomplishments by the board elected in 2022 during its four-year term
The board elected in 2022 has overseen a period of time which has seen both campus expansion and changes in the governing structure of the district. One of the notable expansions was the opening of the Quarry Trail Elementary School. Opened in 2022-23 school year, Quarry Trail has become RUSD’s 12th elementary school which emphasizes Spanish dual-language immersion program.
The district has also completed the transition to the five-trustee area elections system. The process included public hearings, demographic work and approval of the five-trustee area map in 2024. This action was taken in order to bring the election structure of Rocklin Unified into compliance with the California Voting Rights Act and is completed with the 2026 election.
The recognitions have also been continuing during this term. Ruhkala Elementary was named a 2025 California Distinguished School. According to the California Department of Education, Maria Montessori Charter Academy, sponsored by Rocklin Unified, was among the 2025 honorees. In 2026, Granite Oaks Middle School and Rocklin High School got California Distinguished School recognition; Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, a charter school affiliated with Rocklin Unified, was also honored.
Facilities have become another important accomplishment of the board. Revised 2024 Facilities Master Plan identified over $300 million in repairs and modernization needs. On June 10, 2026, the board approved Measure D which would place a $288 million school facilities improvement bond before the voters. Proposed projects under Measure D include roof, plumbing and sewer repairs; replacement of heating and air conditioning systems; electrical system improvements; safety upgrades; replacement of old portable classrooms; and modernization of career technical education facilities. Since the voters have not yet voted on Measure D, this bond is a proposed future program rather than a completed accomplishment.
These accomplishments of the district must not be attributed to trustees individually. Awards, new programs and operation of schools involve teachers, classified employees, administrators, students, families and the governing board.
Rocklin Unified School District by the numbers
At present, Rocklin Unified describes itself as a district serving nearly 12,000 students with 1,100 employees. Its 2025 audited organizational report shows that the district occupies approximately 13 square miles in Placer County with 12 elementary schools, two middle schools, two comprehensive high schools and an alternative education center. The district’s current web directory also lists Victory High School and Rocklin Virtual Campus among its educational offerings.
Roger Stock serves as the Superintendent of the district and has been the Superintendent since 2013. Present senior administration includes Jennifer Stahlheber, Deputy Superintendent for Business and Operations; Michael Henderson, Associate Superintendent for Human Resources; William MacDonald, Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education and Educational Services; and Martin Flowers, Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education. The district office is at 2615 Sierra Meadows Drive, Rocklin.
Individual schools recognitions, awards and graduation information
Some schools have other recognitions besides California Distinguished Schools. The 2026-27 handbook of Cobblestone Elementary states that it is both California Distinguished School and PBIS Platinum School. According to Rock Creek Elementary’s current handbook, it is a California Distinguished School and a California PBIS Coalition Gold Award recipient. Sunset Ranch Elementary is listed as California Distinguished School and California Gold Ribbon winner.
As for high schools, Whitney High provided particular useful recent information for the Class of 2026. According to its 2026 college and career brochure, 506 students belonged to the Class of 2026 and total enrollment was 2,135 at the time the brochure was prepared. According to the school, 96% of its Class of 2026 graduates continued post-secondary education immediately after graduating, with 46.9% entering four-year colleges and 42.1% attending community colleges; 15 students entered military-related pathway. Whitney High held its Class of 2026 graduation June 4.
Rocklin High held its Class of 2026 graduation June 5 and was named a 2026 California Distinguished School. No recent graduating class counts or district-published graduation percentage for Rocklin High was found in the current RUSD material for this report. Rather than mixing current counts with historical state accountability data, no historical state graduation percentage is being used as a comparison.
From a one-school district to nearly 12,000 students
The school system of Rocklin predates the city’s suburban development by over a century. According to the district’s historical records, Rocklin School District originated in August 1866 when the first school opened in Ray Johnson Ranch, near the modern baseball park. In 1881, it had 132 students and two teachers. After a fire destroyed the building in 1884, a new four-room building was constructed in 1885 to accommodate about 180 students with three teachers.
In 1952, enrollment reached 370 students. Rocklin remained primarily an elementary district for many decades with teenagers attending high schools in other districts. Unification was approved on April 8, 1986, and Rocklin Unified School District was created on July 1, 1987, with approximately 2,672 students.
Then came the growth of the district. Cobblestone Elementary opened in 1991, Antelope Creek in 1992 and Rocklin High started accepting freshmen in 1993-94 school year. Twin Oaks Elementary and Granite Oaks Middle were opened in 1999; Sierra and Valley View elementary schools opened in 2001; Rock Creek – in 2002; Ruhkala – in 2005; Whitney High started accepting freshmen and sophomores in 2005; Sunset Ranch Elementary opened in 2010. Opening of Quarry Trail in 2022-23 school year completed the recent additions to the district-operated elementary campuses.
Candidate contact information
Incumbent Tiffany Saathoff, Area 2: (916) 380-9711; Tiffany4Rocklin@gmail.com; district email tsaathoff@rocklinusd.org; campaign website.
Incumbent Michelle Sutherland, Area 2: talktomichelle@michelle4rocklinschoolboard.com; district email msutherland@rocklinusd.org; campaign website. No campaign phone number authorized by Placer County for Aug. 28, 2026, Candidate Watch.
Rebecca Hoehne, Area 4: rebecca4rocklin@gmail.com; (916) 955-6419, per her campaign public materials; campaign website.
Steve Makis, Area 4: campaign website. Placer County’s candidate filing did not authorize release of a phone number or email address.
Incumbent Dereck Counter, Area 5: district email dcounter@rocklinusd.org; campaign website. Placer County’s 2026 filing did not authorize release of a campaign phone number or email address.
Jacob Boyce, Area 5: info@jacobboyce.com; MMCA board contact jboyce@mmcharter.org; campaign website.
For voters, November 3 election will be about much more than choosing three trustees. It will complete the structural change of the way Rocklin Unified’s trustees are elected while asking voters to compare incumbents and challengers on academic priorities, school operations, oversight of taxpayers money and the future of district facilities. The election in Area 2 is bound to produce change in the existing board as two incumbents compete for the same geographic seat, while Area 4 is going to elect a newcomer to the board no matter what happens.
