Meet 'Data-Driven' 3rd District School Board Candidate Cassi Sung

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Ahead of the primary elections in June, Patch has invited candidates running to represent the region on the Montgomery County Board of Education to complete a questionnaire touching on a variety of key issues.

Candidate responses will be published verbatim in the run-up to the primaries on Tuesday, June 23.

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Questionnaire responses for Cassandra "Cassi" Sung, who is running to serve as the 3rd District school board member, can be found below:

Name: Cassi Sung

Age: 39

Hometown: Allentown, PA

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please state and explain how that experience will influence your time on the Montgomery County Board of Education if elected.

I have not held elected office before. What I do have is a track record of showing up where decisions are made and making sure the right voices are in the room.

As president of my college's student senate, I learned early what it means to represent a constituency; to balance competing interests, build consensus, and be accountable to the people who put their trust in you. More recently, as an advocate with Chamber of Mothers, I have lobbied on Capitol Hill on issues affecting mothers and families, bringing community concerns directly to legislators and their staffs and making the case for policy change at the federal level.

In my professional life, I oversee the implementation and enablement of complex software systems that pull together data from across an organization to give decision-makers a clearer picture. That work has shaped how I think about governance: the right decision is only as good as the data behind it and the people who were consulted in making it.

None of that is a traditional political résumé. But the Montgomery County Board of Education doesn't need another career politician; it needs people who understand how systems work, how to advocate effectively, and how to stay accountable to the community they serve. That's the experience I'm bringing.

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you’re looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?

The boundary redistricting process has upended the lives of families across District 3. Parents who spent years planning for their children to attend specific middle and high schools are now facing unexpected reassignments, and many are questioning whether MCPS is still the right fit for their family at all.

I've heard from neighbors who are seriously weighing private school options, and others who are watching their home values with anxiety. That's not a sign of a healthy public school system. That's a sign of a community that has lost trust.

As a mom whose daughter is entering MCPS in August, I don't have the luxury of treating this as an abstract policy debate. I'm living it alongside my neighbors.

The boundary changes themselves may be done, but the damage to community trust is not. If elected to the Board, I will push for a transparent after-action review of how this process was managed; who was consulted, what data drove the decisions, and whether affected families had a genuine opportunity to be heard. Decisions of this magnitude should never feel like they happened to families; they should feel like they happened with them.

Going forward, I will advocate for any major boundary or cluster changes to require robust community engagement with clear timelines, multilingual outreach, and data that is publicly available before decisions are finalized, not after. When new options are introduced late in the process, as happened when Modified Option H was added with no corresponding revision to deadlines, families are left scrambling to evaluate a proposal they never had adequate time to understand.

Last-minute additions shouldn't get to skip the scrutiny that every other option faced. Any new proposal introduced after a process is underway should automatically trigger a timeline reset, giving the community the same meaningful window to respond that they deserved from the start.

Public schools are the backbone of this community. My job on the Board would be to make sure MCPS earns back the trust it needs to keep families here.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

I am not a longtime insider to the MCPS ecosystem, and I think that's a strength. I come to this race as a parent whose daughter is entering MCPS this August, which means I have immediate, personal skin in the game. The decisions this Board makes over the next four years will directly shape her education. That's not a talking point; it's my daily reality.

What also sets me apart is how I approach problems. I am a data-driven decision maker who believes in identifying root causes, not just treating symptoms. I have spent my career navigating change management and process improvement; understanding what isn't working, building toward something better, and bringing people along in the process. I will apply that same rigor to the Board.

I am also not using this seat as a launching pad. For some candidates, a school board position is the first rung of a political career. I have no interest in that. I'm here for one reason: to make MCPS the best it can be for every child in this district. My five pillars are Safety, Inclusion and Diversity, Early Childhood Education, Data-Driven Solutions, and Responsible AI in Education. They aren't a platform built for a future campaign. They're a blueprint for what I actually intend to do.

Montgomery County's kids deserve a Board member who is all in on this, and nothing else. That's me.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you’ve outlined in your campaign and/or the office you’re seeking?

My work centers on implementing and enabling complex software systems that bring together data from across an organization; breaking down silos and turning fragmented, disconnected information into something decision-makers can actually use. That experience translates directly to the Board in ways I think are genuinely rare.

First, I understand data. Not just how to read a report, but how data is collected, how it can be manipulated, and what questions to ask when the numbers don't tell the full story. MCPS generates an enormous amount of data on student outcomes, resource allocation, and program effectiveness. A Board member who knows how to interrogate that data and spot when something is missing is a more effective advocate for students.

Second, I know what it takes to drive change inside a large institution. Implementation work is humbling; you learn quickly that a good idea means nothing if the people affected by it aren't brought along. I have navigated resistance, built buy-in across stakeholders with competing priorities, and kept complex projects moving when they've hit obstacles. A school district with more than 160,000 students is one of the most complex organizations imaginable. I know how to work inside systems like that without losing sight of the goal.

Third, I am comfortable asking hard questions of vendors, administrators, and systems, and not accepting polished presentations at face value. As MCPS continues to evaluate and adopt new technologies, including AI, that skepticism is an asset.

My campaign pillars aren't abstract ideals. They reflect the way I already think and work every day.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current officeholder, and how will you improve on it?

Julie Yang has been a dedicated and thoughtful representative for District 3, and I want to be clear: I am not running against her record. I am running to build on it.

Her commitment to student mental health and meaningful community involvement in our schools reflects exactly the kind of Board leadership that puts kids first. Those aren't just programs; they are signals to students and families that their wellbeing matters and that their voices belong in the conversation. That foundation is worth protecting and worth expanding.

Where I hope to add to her work is in bringing a data-driven lens to how we measure the impact of investments across the board; mental health, safety, community outreach, and beyond. Are the resources reaching the students who need them most? Are we tracking outcomes in ways that allow us to course-correct when something isn't working? Good intentions deserve rigorous follow-through, and I want to make sure the groundwork Julie has laid translates into sustained, equitable outcomes across every school in the district.

I also want to deepen the community involvement piece by ensuring that engagement is not just welcomed but structurally embedded in how MCPS makes decisions. The boundary redistricting process showed us what happens when that structure breaks down. Building on Julie's work means making community input a non-negotiable part of the process, not an afterthought.

I have enormous respect for the work she has done. My goal is to make sure it endures and grows.

What is the biggest issue facing Montgomery County Public Schools? How would you address it?

The biggest issue facing MCPS right now is declining enrollment, and the ripple effects it creates across everything from budgeting to facility planning to community trust.

MCPS enrollment dropped by more than 2,600 students from the 2024-2025 to the 2025-2026 school year, and the district is projecting a loss of nearly 7,000 additional students over the next six years. That would bring enrollment down to roughly 149,700 from a high of 165,267 before the pandemic. Declining birth rates are a significant factor, but so is something harder to quantify: families choosing other options because they have lost confidence in MCPS to make decisions that put their children first.

That second part is where the Board has the most direct ability to act. Enrollment declines driven by demographics require long-term planning; enrollment declines driven by eroding trust require immediate attention. Families who are considering private school alternatives, or who moved into this county specifically for its schools and are now questioning that decision, are telling us something important. We have to listen.

Addressing this means delivering on the basics with consistency: safe schools, inclusive environments, transparent decision-making, and educational outcomes that justify the investment families are making in this community. It also means being honest with residents about what declining enrollment means for resource allocation and infrastructure, rather than allowing uncertainty to fester into anxiety.

I am running for this seat in part because I believe MCPS is still one of the best public school systems in the country, and I want to keep it that way. Rebuilding the trust that brings families back and keeps them here is not a single initiative. It is the work of every decision the Board makes.

A student brings a gun/weapon to campus without setting off any red flags. What security measures would you advocate for to prevent such an incident?

When a student brings a weapon to school without triggering any warning signs, it reveals something important: we have already missed multiple opportunities to intervene. My focus is on what happens long before a weapon ever enters a building.

Prevention is the most effective security measure we have. That means investing in community-based violence intervention programs, robust mental health resources, and the kind of trusted adult relationships in schools where a student in crisis feels safe asking for help. It also means advocating at every level, including federally, for policies that reduce access to firearms in the first place, and supporting safe gun storage practices and family education in our communities.

I am cautious about reactive security measures like AI camera surveillance or metal detectors as primary solutions. Beyond the significant cost, research from Everytown for Gun Safety raises real concerns that threat assessment and surveillance programs can disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. Any security framework MCPS adopts must be monitored carefully for equity and must not turn our schools into environments where certain students feel surveilled rather than supported.

If threat assessment programs are used, MCPS should collect and publicly report disaggregated data to ensure they are being implemented equitably, and should consider evidence-based models like the Comprehensive Student Threat Assessment Guidelines, which research suggests have a lower disparate impact on students of color.

Safety and equity are not competing values. The safest schools are ones where every student feels they belong, and where the systems designed to protect them don't treat some kids as more suspicious than others.

Do you believe schools need stricter security measures? Metal detectors? Move away from CEOs and revert to SROs? Explain.

Stricter security measures sound reassuring, but the evidence tells a more complicated story. Metal detectors and increased police presence in schools have not been shown to prevent mass shootings. The failures at Parkland and Uvalde are sobering reminders that an armed officer on campus is not a guarantee of safety when it matters most.

On the question of reverting to School Resource Officers: I do not support expanding SRO presence in MCPS, and the research is a significant part of why. Studies have consistently shown that SROs do not reduce school shooting deaths, and their presence has several damaging effects, particularly on students of color and students of other marginalized groups, including increased criminalization and decreased graduation rates.

Research shows that introducing SROs increases the use of suspension, expulsion, police referral, and arrest, with particularly large increases observed for Black students and students with disabilities. LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming students also report feeling hostility from law enforcement in schools and face higher likelihood of being stopped, suspended, or arrested. As a Board member, I cannot support a security model that makes some of our most vulnerable students feel less safe, not more.

What I do support is investing in the people and programs that address the root causes of school violence: mental health counselors, trusted adult relationships, restorative practices, and community-based violence intervention programs. I also believe we need to be honest that school safety does not begin and end at the school door. It requires advocating for federal policies that reduce access to firearms and supporting safe gun storage education in our communities.

Safety is one of my core campaign pillars, and I take it seriously. But safety has to work for every student in our district, not just some of them.

What is your stance on the "Save Wootton" initiative by community members?

The Save Wootton initiative is exactly what community advocacy is supposed to look like: neighbors who care deeply about their schools, their community, and their kids showing up and refusing to be ignored. I have enormous respect for everyone who has been part of that effort, and I want them to know their fight has been seen.

The Save Wootton community has continued to fight even after that vote, and that persistence speaks to how significant this issue is for the families affected. A decision of this magnitude, one that touches on school identity, community roots, student stability, and neighborhood character, should never have been rushed through a process that left so many people feeling unheard.

If elected, I will be a Board member who takes locally driven advocacy seriously; not as noise to be managed, but as signal to be listened to. The Save Wootton initiative is a direct reflection of what happens when a community feels like decisions are being made without them. I am committed to making sure that dynamic changes in District 3.

What will you do to ensure that concerns of parents and/or guardians of MCPS students are heard and addressed before a vote is held on any new business?

The boundary redistricting process was a reminder that even well-intentioned outreach can fall short. Surveys have real value, but they only reach the people who are already paying attention, already have reliable internet access, and already have the bandwidth to respond. That is not always representative of our full community, and decisions that affect every family in the district should be informed by every family in the district.

Real outreach has to meet people where they are. That means using every available channel: social media, text message alerts, flyers in school backpacks and community spaces, announcements through trusted community organizations, and partnerships with PTAs and parent networks who already have relationships with families we might not otherwise reach. It means making sure materials are available in multiple languages. And it means giving people enough lead time to actually engage, not a two-week window that closes before most families even know the conversation is happening.

Before any significant vote, I would advocate for a structured, multilingual, multi-channel outreach process with clear timelines and a genuine feedback loop. Not a checkbox. Not a single town hall that requires a Tuesday evening commute. A sustained, grassroots effort that treats community input as essential to good governance, not optional.

I would also want to track who we are hearing from and who we are not, so we can actively close those gaps rather than assuming silence means satisfaction.

Our caregivers, guardians, and families are not just stakeholders to be informed after a decision is made. They are partners in making it.

A 6% property tax increase was proposed for the fiscal 2027 budget to raise funds for schools. Homeowners are reluctant to pay more.

What is your position?

I understand why homeowners are reluctant, and I think that reluctance deserves to be taken seriously rather than dismissed. Families in Montgomery County are already navigating significant cost of living pressures, and a 6% property tax increase is not a small ask.

At the same time, I want to be honest: our schools need adequate funding, and underfunding them has real consequences for students. This is not a simple issue, and I am not going to pretend it is.

My position is that before asking homeowners to absorb a tax increase of this size, the Board has an obligation to demonstrate that every other avenue has been genuinely explored and exhausted. That means taking a hard look at how MCPS allocates its existing budget, identifying inefficiencies, and pursuing alternative revenue streams with real urgency. Facility rentals, public-private partnerships, and grant funding are all on the table. So is a transparent accounting of where current dollars are going and whether they are reaching students effectively.

If after that rigorous process a tax increase is still necessary to deliver the education our kids deserve, I would want that case made clearly and honestly to the public, with data to back it up. Residents are far more willing to invest in their schools when they trust that their money is being managed responsibly.

What I will not support is a tax increase that arrives without that accountability. Homeowners deserve a Board that has done its homework before coming to them, and students deserve a Board that will fight for every dollar available before asking families to give more.

What other options would you consider to raise money that does not include raising taxes?

Raising property taxes is not the only path to better-funded schools, and I think we owe it to homeowners to exhaust every creative alternative before defaulting to that option.

One area with significant untapped potential is facility rentals. MCPS already rents out classrooms, fields, auditoriums, and other spaces at discounted rates for nonprofits and county residents, which is a community benefit worth preserving. But if those spaces are sitting empty because the booking process is cumbersome or hard to find, we are losing revenue regardless of what the rate sheet says. A modernized, user-friendly platform that makes it genuinely easy for community members, nonprofits, and organizations to discover and reserve available spaces could meaningfully increase utilization across the board. Schools in other districts have generated up to $2 million annually through this kind of approach. That is real money that could go directly back into our classrooms.

Public-private partnerships are another avenue worth pursuing seriously. The Board has already indicated interest in exploring this model, and our neighbors in Prince George's County have put it into practice. Done thoughtfully and transparently, partnerships with private entities can bring in resources without shifting the burden to homeowners.

That said, I want to be honest: I don't think any one person has all the answers here, and I would not want to walk into this role with a closed mind. Some of the best ideas for sustainable school funding will come from community members, business owners, educators, and families who understand this district from the inside. As a Board member, I would actively invite that input and treat it seriously.

Our schools deserve adequate funding. Our homeowners deserve a Board that gets creative before asking them to pay more.