Cassandra "Cassi" Sung is running for Montgomery County Board of Education District 3 in the Nov. 3 general election. The nonpartisan seat is one of several on the Montgomery County Board of Education. Sally A. McCarthy is also in the race, according to election records.

Asked in our candidate questionnaire why she is running, Sung said: "I am running because every family deserves to be heard, and too many feel they are not … I also spend my days implementing systems at a law firm, so I know good intentions mean little without consistent follow-through."

Candidate information

Age: 39, according to The Baltimore Banner's voter guide.

Hometown: Allentown, Pa., according to Rockville Patch.

Family: Asked about her family in our questionnaire, Sung said: "I live in the Potomac with my husband, Kevin, an MCPS graduate, and our two young children. Our daughter just started kindergarten, and our son will join MCPS in a few years. We are a multiracial family, and that shapes how I think about representation and belonging in our schools."

Education: Asked about her education, Sung said in our questionnaire: "I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a minor in Communication from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania."

Occupation: Asked about her work history, Sung said in our questionnaire: "I oversee the implementation and enablement of experience software at Holland & Knight, an international law firm, where I integrate data from multiple firm systems so people can find and use it to make better data based decisions."

Experience and public service

She has not held elected office. Asked about past accomplishments, Sung said in our questionnaire: "In the community, I have advocated through the DC Area Chapter of Chamber of Mothers for maternal health, affordable childcare, and paid family leave, and served as an Election Judge." She added that she "completed the She Should Run Local Leader Lab and earned a Certificate of Leadership."

On the issues

What sets her apart: Asked about critical differences between herself and other candidates, Sung said in our questionnaire: "Many good ideas stall because no one tracks whether they were carried out. I will push for outcomes tracking that revisits prior Board decisions and publishes results publicly."

Budget transparency: Asked what changes she would make to rebuild trust in the MCPS budget, Sung said in our questionnaire: "Financial information is usually shared at every meeting, but it is buried in attachments most parents never have time to read. I would start with a public budget tracker that ties spending to the Board's stated goals, in plain English."

Declining enrollment: Sung told Rockville Patch she identifies declining enrollment as the biggest issue facing MCPS. She distinguishes between demographic-driven declines requiring long-term planning and trust-driven declines requiring immediate attention, according to Patch.

School safety: Sung told Rockville Patch she does not support expanding School Resource Officer presence in MCPS. She supports investing in mental health counselors and restorative practices instead, according to Patch.

Property taxes: Sung told Rockville Patch she believes the board must demonstrate that all other options have been exhausted before asking homeowners to absorb a tax increase.

Endorsements

Sung has one endorsement, according to Blue Voter Guide:

  • Gun Sense Voter (Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund)

Sung's responses are drawn from a Bethesda Beacon candidate questionnaire and other published voter guides. Her claims about her background and positions have not been independently verified.