Sarah Clark (Washington)
2024 - Present
2025
1
Sarah Clark is a member of the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington, representing District 2. She assumed office on April 4, 2024. Her current term ends in 2025.
Clark ran in a special election to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors to represent District 2 in Washington. She lost in the special general election on November 4, 2025.
Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sarah Clark was born in Seattle, Washington. She earned a bachelor's degree from North Park University in 2012, a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 2016, and a graduate degree from the University of Washington in 2017. Her career experience includes working as a policy director.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2025)
General election
Special general election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 2
Kathleen Smith defeated incumbent Sarah Clark in the special general election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 2 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kathleen Smith (Nonpartisan)  | 53.1 | 126,533 |
 | Sarah Clark (Nonpartisan) | 46.3 | 110,436 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 1,328 | ||
| Total votes: 238,297 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 2
Kathleen Smith and incumbent Sarah Clark defeated Eric Feeny in the special primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 2 on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Smith (Nonpartisan) | 47.9 | 15,080 |
| ✔ | | Sarah Clark (Nonpartisan) | 41.9 | 13,186 |
| Eric Feeny (Nonpartisan) | 9.9 | 3,100 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 105 | ||
| Total votes: 31,471 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Clark received the following endorsements.
- State Sen. Rebecca Saldana (D)
- Seattle School Board Dir. Joe Mizrahi (Nonpartisan)
- Seattle Public Schools Pres. Gina Topp (Nonpartisan)
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Stephan Blanford
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Michael Debell
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Leslie Harris
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Dick Lilly
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Peter Maier
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Don Nielsen
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Lisa Rivera
- Frmr. Seattle School Board Dir. Vivian Song (Nonpartisan)
- King County, Wash., Democratic Party
- Legis. District 32, Wash., Democratic Party
- Legis. District 34, Wash., Democratic Party
- Legis. District 36, Wash., Democratic Party
- Legis. District 37, Wash., Democratic Party
- Legis. District 46, Wash., Democratic Party
- Seattle Building Trades Unions
- All Together for Seattle Schools
- Everytown for Gun Safety
- Moms Demand Action
- The Seattle Times
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sarah Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clark's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Sarah knows schools aren't just buildings — they're the heart of our communities. When others pushed for school closures, Sarah stood up to say we need better solutions. She listens to families, uses data, and focuses on what actually works for all SPS kids. Sarah is willing to do the work to find creative ways to make our schools better for every student, no matter their background or needs.
With a master's degree in education policy from University of Washington and experience leading large, diverse, statewide education coalitions like the Early Learning Action Alliance, Sarah brings deep policy and community engagement experience to the board. She has successfully navigated complex education policy challenges, like the passage of House Bill 2556, which created alternative pathways for experienced early learning providers to meet state education mandates, and the passage of the Capital Gains tax. Her background enables her to analyze proposals thoroughly, develop creative and inclusive solutions, and ensure decisions are grounded in evidence.- SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD MUST RESTORE FISCAL OVERSIGHT I’m committed to providing strong fiscal oversight and bringing more resources to the classroom through better management, not by rushing to close schools or cancel programs. I’m chairing the first budget committee in nearly 3 years to examine the details, ensure wise management, provide smart recommendations, and eliminate wasteful spending, so more dollars reach our students in their classrooms.
- SEATTLE SCHOOLS MUST BE SAFER FOR STUDENTS Seattle Public Schools must be safer for students. Students can’t succeed while threatened with physical and sexual violence; the Seattle School Board must prioritize short- and long-term ways to improve student safety in schools. These efforts must include our students’ social and emotional safety. Seattle Public Schools needs to invest in commonsense opportunities, like increasing access to social workers, expanding student affinity spaces, and restoring safe haven programs, like music and the arts.
- SEATTLE SCHOOLS MUST REBUILD PUBLIC TRUST During last year’s school closure debacle, SPS demonstrated a profound lack of transparency with families and the public. After 6 years of unstable leadership, eliminating popular programs, violent safety incidents, and diminished community engagement, declining enrollment and catchment rates send a clear message: families are dissatisfied with the status quo. School Board Directors must rebuild trust, partner with the public on major decisions, promote academic rigor, address safety concerns, and encourage families to enroll and stay in our public schools.
School board directors must prioritize student safety — both physical and emotional. Students cannot learn when they feel threatened or unsupported. This requires investing in social workers, restoring access to programs that serve as safe havens, and addressing violence in our schools through both immediate interventions and long-term systemic improvements.
Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable responsibilities. Directors must ensure families receive comprehensive information before major decisions are made, create genuine two-way communication channels with communities, and demonstrate that public feedback actually influences policy. Rebuilding trust requires showing our work and being accessible to the families we serve.
A director must champion equity to serve all students — not hide behind a narrow definition that justifies predetermined outcomes. This means advocating for special education students, English language learners, highly capable learners, and every child with unique needs who often gets overlooked in board discussions.
Although I’ve never had kids of my own (due to medical challenges), I’ve spent most of my life caring for and supporting children. It’s one of the many reasons that I pursued education policy as a profession. I struggled greatly throughout my childhood — financially, emotionally (with the effects of numerous traumas), physically (chronic pain and health issues), socially, etc. — and spent most of my adult life fighting to survive. I’m seeking to serve a full term because we must break the cycle. I don’t want another generation of children to have the same fate — we must do better.
The 32nd District Dems
The 34th District Dems
The 36th District Dems
The 37th District Dems
The 46th District Dems
Seattle Building and Construction Trade Council
WA State Senator Rebecca Saldaña
Current Seattle School Board Members:
Board President Gina Topp
Board Director Joe Mizrahi
Former Seattle School Board Directors:
Stephan Blanford
Leslie Harris
Vivian Song
Lisa Rivera
Don Nielsen
Dick Lilly
Peter Maier
From the moment I joined the board, I recognized critical flaws in the closure plan: the district lacked the leadership skills and experience to manage such a massive process, there was no genuine stakeholder input or buy-in, and the rationale behind the closures was fundamentally flawed. My attempts to access real information and get straightforward answers were consistently blocked by board leadership. When the closure lists and justifications were finally released, and I began hearing hundreds of unique, justified concerns from students and parents, it became undeniable — this plan was headed for catastrophic failure.
As the sole board member willing to publicly call for abandoning the school closure plan, I took significant heat from my colleagues, facing intense pressure to conform to their ideology. But I knew what was right for our students and families, and stayed the course. Through an op-ed, partnership with parents, and direct engagement with my colleagues, I successfully ended the proposal, making it unequivocally clear to families that the district would not be closing any schools for the 2025-2026 school year.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Clark completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 2, 2025
