Anita Damjanovic Vs. Cassandra Sage: LWSD Board Candidate Questionnaire

REDMOND, WA - In late September, Patch sent questionnaires to candidates running in local elections. We asked a mix of questions so you could get a better idea of who you might like to vote for. Here are the answers Lake Washington School District board position 3 candidates Anita Damjanovic and Cassandra Sage gave us:

Anita Damjanovic

Why did you decide to run for this seat? For incumbent candidates, what made you decide to run for reelection?

I have been interested in public policy and looking for a way to give back to my community for a while, but it was never the right time. After I completed my doctoral studies, and had my sons, I finally decided that I shouldn’t wait anymore. My “kids” are my inspiration- my two boys and my many students both!

Where did you graduate from high school? Do you feel you got a good education?

I graduated from Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY. I arrived to Louisville as a refugee. I spoke broken English and I was a year behind in graduation credits due to educational system differences between my native country and the USA. The counselors and teachers helped me study, found resources, recommended credit retrieval courses, and changed my schedule as many times as needed to help me graduate with my age group. Yes, it required a lot of work and effort on my end, but without their guidance and help, it never would have happened. My teachers, my counselors, and my school administrators cared and were available to help and to guide me, and that to me is a sign of having a great experience and getting a great education.

What do you think of how the state Legislature addressed education funding this year?

The education funding bill will not provide ample and equitable funding to schools. If funding depends on property taxes, what do we do in case of another recession? What do we do if in 4 years legislators refuse to lift the 1% cap? If the State should be funding basic education, but they do not (as is the case with special education) and our levies are not supposed to pay for it, what do we do? Now that the State will not pay the actual cost of staff salaries, how do we cover those costs without having to discriminate against older, and more experienced (and thus more expensive) teaching candidates? The salary regionalization multipliers will also add to the teacher shortage in some districts, especially those adjacent to districts with a higher multiplier. In short, I think the legislators rushed into a deal without reading through everything and without allowing for public comments, and for those two reasons alone, I think they need to rethink the law.

What’s the last book you read?

Today I read “Ten Apples Up on Top” with my son. We are working on counting. I am also rereading “Lazarillo de Tormes” which is an anonymous medieval picaresque novel that I will be teaching to my students in a few weeks. I teach AP Spanish Literature, so I am always reading something related to my class.

If you could pick one thing for the school district to stop spending money on, what would it be?

Lawsuits! I wish they didn’t happen!

Do you think the district budget is in decent shape? Why or why not?

Yes! The district was very wise with their reserves and savings and is in a decent financial position. They will be able, with voter approval, to replace expiring bonds and levies without an increase in taxes.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what’s one thing you would fix or change about your school district?

Could I snap my fingers twice? With the first snap, I would want the achievement gap to disappear. With my second snap, I would want bullying to end. I really hope to see all our children learning and happy.

Cassandra Sage

Why did you decide to run for this seat? For incumbent candidates, what made you decide to run for reelection?

I am invested in education at all ages and stages! I have a background in Early Childhood Education. I have 22 consecutive years of experience as a parent and PTA leader in the Lake Washington School District. Additionally, I have been a Family Adviser at Seattle Children’s Hospital for nearly 16 years. My role there is to help doctors, medical staff, parents and patients develop a partnership to ensure the best possible outcomes for children. I’d like to do the same for LWSD, build partnerships between schools, parents and children for the best possible academic outcomes. I have more than two decades of experience as a PTA board leader and parent volunteer at 4 different schools in our district. I have been honored to receive 4, Golden Acorn awards (the highest award given) for my PTA leadership (2004, 2007, 2009, 2015). My four children all have different learning styles, strengths and challenges. I have advocated for every one of them from my stepson who has autism and is enrolled in a transition classroom, to my physically disabled teenager, to my son who is now a double STEM major at UW and my oldest who joined the Marine Corps after graduation. Each of them has needed very different types of guidance and support over the course of their schooling. Along the way I found myself connecting with other parents and helping them advocate for their students as well. Utilizing my experience as a parent advocate for ALL students in our district would benefit thousands more children than I can assist at the individual school level. I want to continue giving to our community, applying my experience, to ensure every student has the best possible path forward.

Where did you graduate from high school? Do you feel you got a good education?

I went to a rural high school in south east King County. I was self-motivated to take honors and AP courses. Because of my personal drive, I feel I received a decent education. Had I faced the challenges my own children do, I would have required much more support to be successful.

What do you think of how the state Legislature addressed education funding this year?

The tax burden between Sound Transit, the McCleary “solution” and increased car tabs is hitting many of us hard. While the Legislature took the first step to fulfill the state’s obligation to fully fund basic education, it has left some districts in tough financial situations. In LWSD, we are fortunate that we have not relied on local levies to fund teacher salaries. Districts who have (and now are not able to do so) are hurting. We won’t know the full impact of “McCleary” until the Legislature passes a capital budget and LWSD actually receives the funds. If we receive the amount the Legislature has promised us, we will be able to meet our current budget.

What's the last book you read?

Neurodiversity in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong.

bWe have been making cuts to public education in our state for the past two decades I’ve had kids in school. Right now, LWSD is growing at about 650 new students per year. That is the size of an entire elementary school. I would be reluctant to cut anything further from our budget because we need to keep up with the growing demand our increased population brings. Perhaps we could put off updating our playgrounds, if they still meet code and safety standards. But we cannot afford to make cuts to the academic needs of our students.

If you could pick one thing for the school district to increase spending money on, what would it be?

Closing the Opportunity Gap for Low Income students, ELL children, Special Education kids, Students of Color, Disabled students (etc.) while increasing opportunities for Highly Capable children.

Do you think the district budget is in decent shape? Why or why not?

We are fortunate that we have not relied heavily on local levies to fund teacher salaries, because in 2019 the state will only allow districts to collect levies at a rate of $1.50/$1,000 of Assessed Property Value. Our proposed levy rate is actually decreasing this year to $1.29/$1,000 AV. LWSD has been prudent, not to rely on high levy rates to fund staff salaries.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what's one thing you would fix or change
about your school district?

New Schools Opening their Doors Immediately to Reduce Crowding and Class Size!

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