← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · California

Endorses Reid

The race

Folsom Cordova Unified voters elect governing board members by trustee area on November 3, 2026. Three areas are up, all held by incumbents. Only one is contested:

The roster rests on GoodParty.org's district page, the Folsom Area Democratic Club elections page and Rancho Cordova Independent coverage, which agree on the names and area assignments — compilation grade. The district's official election notice confirms Areas 1, 3 and 5 are the seats on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

The candidates

### Area 3 (contested)

Dave Reid — incumbent. Reid has served on this board since 2018 (elected 2018, re-elected 2022) and is its clerk for 2026, having previously served as president and vice president. His background is two decades of education policy work: he served as general counsel at EdFund in Rancho Cordova, was president of the Folsom Cordova PTA Council, and is a founding board member of the Folsom Cordova Education Foundation. His published positions, from his own candidate forums: not every student needs or wants college, so bring the trades back into the high schools and partner with local business on internships and apprenticeships; close the achievement gap; reduce class sizes; address student mental health; and build smarter — multi-level school construction instead of single-story campuses that run out of room in a fast-growing district. Credit: a trustee with a program, stated in his own words across multiple cycles, weighted toward career pathways and facilities realism. Dirt: none found in this pass — no controversy attaches to his two terms in anything the local record shows; the honest con is incumbency itself in a growing district with aging facilities, the very problems he lists.

Susan Cunningham — challenger. Cunningham is a 15-year Folsom resident who put two children through FCUSD schools, with professional experience overseeing programs and systems, and serves as First Vice President of the Folsom Area Democratic Club. Her campaign site promises a trustee "who listens, who's honest about how decisions get made, and who keeps the focus where it belongs: on kids," and her fundraising appeal names the district's challenges — growing enrollment, aging facilities, student safety, special education — and promises "fresh eyes, thoughtful oversight, and a problem-solving approach." Her endorsements are the establishment slate: the Folsom Cordova Education Association (the district's teachers' union), sitting board member Chris Clark, the Folsom Area Democratic Club, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, the Latino Democratic Club and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Mar Monte. Credit: an organized, present campaign with a real community résumé and the backing of the district's largest employee organization. Dirt: none found — no scandal or controversy. The documented con is alignment: every named endorser is the district's institutional or partisan establishment, and her platform as published is process language ("listens," "fresh eyes") next to an incumbent who has published specific positions on trades, construction and class sizes.

### Areas 1 and 5 — sole-candidate incumbents

Kara Lofthouse (Area 1). Incumbent, sole candidate, term 2023–2026 per GoodParty's officeholder listing. No opposition filed; there is no vote to call.

Jennifer Laret (Area 5). Incumbent and the board's president for 2026; a Rancho Cordova businesswoman whose four children attended Rancho Cordova schools, first elected in November 2022. Sole candidate; there is no vote to call.

Pros and cons

Record gaps

Searches run: GoodParty.org's Folsom Cordova page (roster and officeholder terms); Cunningham's campaign site and her ActBlue appeal (platform as presented, full endorsement list); the district's official board page and November 3, 2026 election notice (areas on the ballot, officer roles, Reid's tenure and Laret's presidency); the Rancho Cordova Independent's FCUSD candidate-forum reporting (Reid's published positions, from his 2018 forum statements — his earliest full statement of them, repeated in his subsequent candidacies); Gold Mountain California News on the board's 2026 officer selections. No 2026-specific candidate questionnaire, campaign site, or news profile was found for Reid, Lofthouse or Laret, and no controversy was found for any candidate in this race.

OUR CALL

Area 3 — endorse Dave Reid. This is the rare down-ballot race where both files are real, and the comparison is direct: an incumbent with a documented program — career and trades pathways, business-partnered apprenticeships, growth-realistic facilities, class-size reduction — against a well-organized challenger whose published case is process and whose endorsers are the district establishment she would oversee, led by its teachers' union. We credit Cunningham's community record; we endorse the candidate who has told voters what he will do, and has a record of doing board work to check it against. Areas 1 and 5 — no call. Lofthouse and Laret are sole candidates; there is no contest for voters to decide.

For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.

Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. ---

Sources

Election result — November 4, 2026

Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.

AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.

← Full down-ballot enumeration