2026 SUSD School Board Voter Guide
TL;DR: The Parental Coalition for SUSD Accountability recommends the following for the November 3, 2026 election: VOTE FOR: Vidya R. Vineet and Catalina Rupert (Independent reformers prioritizing student safety).
REJECT: Anna Goldberg, Farnoush Drexel, and Eric Cao (Union-backed candidates who minimize an unlawful safety breach to protect the administration). For more information regarding the serious issue: Petition to SUSD Trustees: Enforce Student Safety, Oversight & Accountability
Cast your ballots for Vineet and Rupert to restore independent oversight. The Parental Coalition for SUSD Accountability has finalized its candidate evaluation for the upcoming Saratoga Union School District election. This guide relies strictly on verifiable public records and official board meeting transcripts to contrast candidates who prioritize independent administrative oversight with those who defended the status quo during a major safety crisis.
Candidate Comparison at a Glance
Candidate Coalition Status Endorsement Source Primary Record Base
Vidya R. STRONGLY ENDORSED Independent Pro-safety incumbent platform
Vineet
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Catalina
Rupert STRONGLY ENDORSED Independent Grassroots parent safety platform
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Anna STRONGLY OPPOSED Teachers Union (STA) Jan 2026 SUSD Board testimony
Goldberg
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Farnoush
Drexel STRONGLY OPPOSED Teachers Union (STA) Dec '25 & Jan '26 SUSD testimonies
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Eric STRONGLY OPPOSED Teachers Union (STA) Multi-year SUSD Board meeting
Cao comments
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Vetted Candidates for SUSD School Board
While there are three seats open in this election, our coalition has chosen to vouch wholeheartedly for only two candidates: Vidya R. Vineet and Catalina Rupert.
Our rigorous vetting process requires candidates to have a proven track record of prioritizing safety over public relations. Vineet and Rupert are the only candidates who have met this standard and demonstrated complete independence from institutional union alignment. We refuse to compromise on student safety simply to fill a third slot on the ballot.
Endorsed Candidates (Independent Reformers)
Vidya R. Vineet (vidya4susd.com)
Safety Priority: Explicitly campaigns on an uncompromising campus safety framework.
Oversight: Pledges to enforce rigorous administrative and fiscal transparency.
Independence: Maintains complete autonomy from union alignment to answer directly to local families.
Catalina Rupert (rupert4susd.com)
Safety Priority: Focuses on strict background checks and student safety reform.
Oversight: Champions open, unredacted public records responses and clear communication.
Independence: Chooses to remain independent of institutional endorsements to guarantee objective oversight.
Opposed Candidates (The Institutional Slate)
Farnoush Drexel
The Record: Transcripts show that while a serious, legitimate safety investigation regarding an uncleared coach was actively underway, she publicly minimized parent safety complaints. The completed investigation later confirmed that the district had bypassed background checks for three years for an individual with a violent criminal history, including a forced violent home invasion with a firearm among his crimes.
December 2025 Comments (Timestamp 1:05:11): Characterized parent advocates as a "loud minority" and a "toxic group" acting on a "personal vendetta," while defending administrators from "repetitive complaints."
January 2026 Comments (Timestamp 29:48): Objected to the "tone and approach" of Saratoga Music Booster leaders who were shielding concerned parents, and asked the district to enforce restrictive "guard rails around booster engagement."
Anna Goldberg
The Record: Testified in favor of top district leadership while the community was actively awaiting the results of the independent investigation into a serious safety protocol breach bypassing FBI checks. The final report ultimately proved the crisis was worse than initially reported, confirming that an individual with a history of forced violent home invasion with a firearm was permitted unchecked access to middle school students for three years.
January 2026 Comments (Timestamp 15:35): Issued public praise for top administrators for leading with "integrity, vision, and heart" at a time when the community was awaiting the findings of the background check circumvention.
Minimizing Impact: Pointed to the launch of a parent book club and a yard supervisor as primary indicators of successful district culture, rather than addressing the serious systemic vulnerabilities then under review.
Eric Cao
The Record: Has consistently disclosed during public board comments across his years of service that he lacks the necessary time to fulfill basic community engagement functions.
Availability Gaps: Stated on multiple occasions that he does not have the personal availability to conduct classroom site visits, attend after-school student events, or host open office hours to connect directly with teachers, staff, and parents.
The Diligence Challenge: Given his repeated public admissions that he lacks the personal availability to complete standard community and school site functions, voters must ask whether he has dedicated the necessary hours to thoroughly read and analyze the independent investigator's final report on the FBI background check bypass. SUSD cannot achieve meaningful administrative accountability or implement systemic safety reforms when its candidates treat critical investigator findings as an afterthought.
Position on the Teachers Union (Saratoga Teachers Association) Endorsement
Our coalition deeply respects and supports our hardworking classroom teachers, but we explicitly oppose the candidate block backed by the STA union leadership (Goldberg, Farnoush, Cao). The public record demonstrates that union leadership actively sought to quash serious safety investigations and discredit parent advocacy before the final factual findings were brought forward.
During the April 2026 SUSD Board Meeting (Timestamp 1:00:30), official union comments were delivered by the STA Secretary at the time, who has since been elevated to STA President. Her statements revealed an institutional push to prioritize district public relations over student protection:
Labeled public parental transparency efforts regarding the violent felon coaching crisis as "toxic negativity" that was "overshadowing" the district.
Dismissed and discredited advocacy by characterizing concerned parents as a "couple people who are really trying to stir the pot" with "bits and pieces" of stories.
Objected to the financial cost of the safety investigations, arguing that the district's resource allocation toward verifying these severe criminal claims was "taking away from the students."
No parent or community wants a school board controlled by a union slate that treats severe background check failures as a public relations inconvenience or a shield to deflect personnel accountability. We need independent trustees who enforce objective oversight, keep the administration accountable, and ensure laws are followed.
Voting Information
School board trustees hold a profound position of public trust. Vote November 3rd., 2026 for Vidya R. Vineet and Catalina Rupert to ensure student safety, rigorous oversight, and administrative accountability. Please consult official county election resources to verify ballot mail-out timelines, registration and submission deadlines, and polling information for this school board election.
****California Education Code Section 45125.1: Requires school districts to ensure that any employee, contractor, or volunteer who interacts with students has a valid criminal records summary from the California Department of Justice (DOJ). It explicitly prohibits employing anyone convicted of a serious or violent felony.
School districts have no legal authority or discretion to waive, ignore, or bypass these requirements for individuals placed in positions of direct contact with students.