John G. Hensill, an El Dorado Hills attorney, is running for El Dorado County Board of Education, Area 1, in the Nov. 3, 2026, California general election. The nonpartisan race also includes Rachel Librach.

Asked why he is running, Hensill said in our candidate questionnaire: "If elected, I will refocus our schools on what truly matters: academic excellence. As a father of three and an experienced education attorney, I have witnessed firsthand how political agendas distract our schools from their primary mission - educating our kids. Our children's future is far too important to be a pawn in party politics."

Candidate information

Occupation and work history: "I am a father of three and a licensed attorney with significant experience in education law," Hensill said in our questionnaire.

Education: "I have a juris doctorate with distinction from McGeorge School of Law and a bachelors in political science from UC Davis," Hensill said in our questionnaire.

Family: "My wife and I have three young children," Hensill said in our questionnaire.

Party affiliation: Democrat, according to our questionnaire.

Previous elected or appointed office: None, according to our questionnaire.

Experience and public service

Hensill said on his campaign website that he is a licensed attorney who has worked in legal advocacy, including foster care and disciplinary hearings.

Asked what accomplishments qualify him for the job, Hensill said in our questionnaire: "My work in education law gives me a unique perspective on this job. I have fought for parents and students who needed additional educational supports. Also, I have fought for foster kids when they were proposed for expulsion. I know what it looks like when we let kids fall through the cracks. But I also know just how resilient kids are."

He added: "If elected I promise to fight for all of our kids. I will work to support our teachers, and I will fight for transparency with our finances."

On the issues

Differences from opponent: Asked about critical differences between himself and other candidates, Hensill said in our questionnaire: "My opponent seems to only advocate for charter schools. I believe in families having educational options for their kids, but I am running because we need someone to advocate for all of our students, regardless of where they go to school."

Financial responsibility: Hensill said on his campaign website that he supports putting classrooms and campuses first, funding what directly serves students and cutting what does not. He also called for fiscal transparency so constituents know how every dollar is spent.

Parental partnership: Hensill said on his campaign website that he supports giving parents a seat at the table in school decisions and forging stronger bonds between the El Dorado County Office of Education and every school and district it serves.

Transparent leadership: Hensill said on his campaign website that he supports full accountability for every policy and every vote.

Family connection to education: Asked whether anyone in his family works in politics or government, Hensill said in our questionnaire: "My grandfather was a professor in biology at San Francisco State University. A point of family pride is that the science building at SF State is named after him … From a young age he taught me the importance of education. Those values fuel my passion in education."

Voters can track Hensill's campaign at his Facebook page or his campaign website.