The Saratoga Union School District board has three at-large seats on the Nov. 3 ballot. Five candidates are running, according to Ballotpedia and SaratogaCA.city.
The candidates
- Eric Cao, board president and incumbent. Ballotpedia lists academic excellence, innovation and student achievement as his first priority.
- Vidya R. Vineet, incumbent. Her campaign calls for pairing core academics with music, art, sports and STEAM.
- Anna Goldberg, a former special education teacher, wants more support for teachers and for students with different needs.
- Catalina Rupert, a community advocate, wants to survey families who have left or are thinking of leaving.
- Farnoush Drexel, who has worked as a lawyer and a dentist, says academic rigor and mental health support can go together.
Trustee Cynthia Miller is not running again.
The issue
The district runs three elementary schools and one middle school. Enrollment fell from about 2,400 in 1999 to about 1,600 in 2024. Because Saratoga Union is a basic aid district funded mainly by local property taxes, the decline has not hit its budget as hard as it has hit districts elsewhere in the Bay Area.
This explainer is based on official candidate lists and published reporting. It does not endorse anyone.
How to vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.