Aug 23, 2026

Article #2 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 1, July 2026

Contracts Signed by the Minneapolis Public Schools Lisa Sayles-Adams Administration with the Center for Effective School Operations (CESO) Raise Questions of Financial Judgment and Professional Ethics

 

Consider these contracts signed by the Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams Administration with the Center for Effective School Operations (CESO) >>>>>

 

Transportation Contract, 28 October 2025 through 31 January 2026

 

>>>>>                 $!40,406.25

 

Transportation Contract, 14 November 2025 through 30 June 2026

 

>>>>>                   $82,500.00

 

Data Extraction and Costing Model Customization Training and Support,

14 July 2025 through 30 June 2026

 

>>>>>                   $45,500.00

 

Executive consulting support for MPS Human Services at a rate of $195 per hour for an amount not to exceed

 

>>>>>                    $45,000.00

 

These figures total

 

>>>>>            $312,906.25

 

 

The Lisa Sayles-Adams administration has also signed contract with CESO to provide support for the Finance Division;  the contract extends from 20 January 2026 through 20 January 2027, with payment given as $68,865 per month.  For the twelve-month period, this would total

 

>>>>>            $826,380.00

 

Additional work may also be provided at a rate of $195 per hour.

 

……………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………..

 

Thus,

 

Total expenditure for contracts concluded by June 2026 was

 

>>>>>            $312,906.25

 

Total expenditure for support to the Finance Division when the contract concludes in 20 January 2027 will be

 

>>>>>            $826,380.00

 

These figures total

 

>>>>>          $1,139,286.25

 

……………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………..

 

The administrative wisdom and motivations of Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams must be questioned in offering contracts to CESO, an establishment entity closely associated with the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA), another establishment organization the board members of which include many to whom Sayles-Adams has close connections.

 

 

Article #3 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 1, July 2026

Despite Misleading Claims of Central Office Staff Reductions by the Lisa Sayles-Adams Administration, the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Central Office Burden Remains Very High at a Time When the District Confronts a $40 Million Dollar Budget Deficit

 

In spring 2025, the Lisa Sayles-Adams administration gave various figures were given at certain junctures as to staff reductions at the Davis Center (Minneapolis Public Schools Central Offices).

 

>>>>> 

 

1)  14.22%, made in a document presented at the 22 April 2025 MPS Board of Education Committee of the Whole;  

 

2)  11.74%, made in a document presented at the 13 May 2025 regular business meeting of the MPS Board of Education; 

 

and

 

3)  and 13.8%, remarkably made by Ryan Strack at that very same 13 May 2025 MPS Board of Education regular business meeting---  and reiterated in personal communications to me by Strack and Kimberly Haynes.  

 

…………………………………………………………………………………..

 

In addition to the conflicting claims as to percentage of staff cuts, there is the matter of the figures not actually being made on the basis of Davis Center employee staff cuts at all, but rather on the basis of the number of FTEs (Full Time Equivalencies) assigned to the Davis Center.

 

Thus, the Sayles-Adams administration gives appearance of misleading the public as to staff reductions at the Davis Center.

 

Consider these figures pertinent to actual staff reductions;  additionally, note median salary and total staffing expenditure information    >>>>>

 

 

Davis Center Staffing Information

 

April 2025

 

594 total staff

$81,259 median salary

$50,020,384 total staffing expenditure

 

 

May 2025

 

584 total staff

$83,291 median salary

$48,341,612 total staffing expenditure

 

July 2025

 

545 total staff

$85,372 median salary

$48,864,041 total staffing expenditure

 

Sept. 2025

 

576 total staff

$85,420 median salary

$51,693,770 total staffing expenditure

 

May 2026

 

580 total staff

$87,507 median salary

$50,221,551 total staffing expenditure

 

……………………………………………………………………………

 

An examination of these figures indicates that actual staffing reductions from a high in April 2025 of 594 staff members to the most recent figures as represented for May 2026 of 580 staff members reveals a reduction of only 14 staff members for a percentage reduction of 2.37% (two and thirty-seven hundredths of a percent).

 

In the course of spring 2026, Minneapolis Public Schools Senior Executive Officer Ryan Strack has continued to claim, more vaguely that a concerted effort has been made to reduce central office staff so as to fully staff “student-facing” positions at school building sites as much as possible.  Strack is in error and at a high degree of certainty knows that such comments are prevaricating. 

  

Article #4 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 1, July 2026

Controversies Pertinent to the Minneapolis Public Schools Finance Division


On November 2024, Director and again in December Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Finance Division Director of Finance/Controller Aaron Gilbert sought and gained authorization from Senior Finance Officer Ibrahima Diop to transfer 95% of monthly deposits a health care account, VEBA (Voluntary Employees Benefits Association.t hat amounted to $3,000,000 ($3 million). Gilbert similarly received authorization to make the same 95% in transfers from January 2025 through June 2026.  In July 2025, Gilbert made the same transfer without authorization. 

 

These actions eventually were interpreted in such a way as to cause concern in the MPS Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams Administration and attract much press attention, chiefly from the Minnesota Reformer and the Minnesota Star Tribune.

 

In May 2025, an official in the Minneapolis Public Schools Human Resources Division, who would report to Senior Human Resources Officer Alicia Miller (and may have been Miller) noticed the transfers made by Gilbert.  The Human Resources employee began to investigate the transfers through the following month (June 2025), consulting along the way with the Minneapolis Public Schools actuary, and an attorney, Darcy Hitesman, who includes in her expertise the sort of financial transfers that Gilbert was making.  By 18 August 2025, officials within the Minneapolis Public Schools with knowledge of the transfers were expressing deep concern.

 

On 12 May 2025, the same month in which the Human Resources official noticed the transfers and started to investigate, Ibrahima Diop received a reprimand from Sayles-Adams pertinent to Minnesota Data Practices Act;  evidence from an email exchange indicates that Diop had made comments regarding personnel that violated the act.  The reprimand also asserted that Diop had failed to participate in compliance training.  Sayles-Adams’s reprimand seemingly was done without knowledge of the transfers being made by Gilbert, and without any information from the investigating Human Resources official:  External investigations indicate that the superintendent would not become privy to the transfers until late August2025 or early September 2025.

 

In the eventful May 2025, the Sayles-Adams administration also hired Sepler and Associates (for a payment of $29,000) to investigate the culture and climate in the MPS Finance Division;  the report would not be issued until August 2025.

 

In 25 August 2025 Diop received a second reprimand and “final warning” from Sayles-Adams, with critical comments expressing “continuing performance concerns” on the part of Diop and citing an “inability to provide accurate budgeting and costing information.”

 

On 5 September 2025, Sayles-Adams directed employees to stop withholding 5% of funds for deposit to the healthcare accounts;  three days later, on 8 September 2025, the superintendent ordered that the previous withheld funds be returned to the health care accounts.

 

In the same month, the law firm Greene-Espel was hired to investigate the matter of the transfers.  When the report from the firm was issued several months later, Green-Espel said that investigators could not determine if misuse of funds had occurred;  MPS officials also could find no evidence of misuse of funds.

 

Also in September 2025, Superintendent Sayles-Adams learned of IRS tax penalties that the district had incurred.  The penalties totaled $5.2 million:  $2.9 million for errors in calculation and reporting employee taxes and $2.3 million for late filing of W-2 and 1095-C forms).  In April 2026, more penalties would be assessed.

 

In November 2025, officials at the Minneapolis Public Schools filed a police report indicating that “wire fraud” had occurred within the district.  But at this point, Gilber, Diop, and Chapinduka (a former Finance official who had rejoined the district only on 1 July 2025) remained in their jobs.

In fact, in December 2025 Diop led six community meetings in which he gave five-year projections, including a forecasted $20 million deficit for fiscal year 2027;  but by February 2026, by which time Diop no longer held his position, updated revenue and expenditure data would bring the deficit figure to $50 million. 

 

On 18 December 2025 Diop accepted a job in the Milwaukee Public School District as an assistant superintendent and the next day (19 December) announced his resignation. 

Then came an odd series of exchanges between Sayles-Adams and Diop:

 

On 2 January 2026, Diop received an email from Sayles-Adams conveying that he was henceforth “discharged from employment” at the Minneapolis Public Schools.  Twelve days later (14 January) came another email conveying to Diop that “I have accepted your resignation” (effective 30 January).

 

On 2 January 2026, notice went out that Gilbert, Diop, and Chapinduka had been suspended indefinitely.  30 January 2026 was Diop’s last day as an employee of the Minneapolis Public Schools;  17 February 2026 was the last day for Chapinduka.  Gilbert, whose withholding of the 5% ($3 million) of funds from the health care accounts had caused much of the controversy regarding the Finance Division at the Minneapolis Public Schools, continued on the district payroll until 14 May 2026.

 

In January 2026, officials at the Minneapolis Public Schools signed a contract with the Center for Effective School Operations (CESO) at $68,865 per month to manage and assess operations within the Finance Division of the Minneapolis Public Schools.  Signatories on this contract was Senior Executive Officer Ryan Strack (for the Minneapolis Public Schools) and Vice President/Finance Dee Dee Kahring (for the Center for Effective School Operations [CESO]).  CESO official Kara Lundin led the ($68,865 per month) investigation and management of the Finance Division. 

 

By 28 April Lundin had worked with officials in the MPS Department of Special Education to recode special education expenses according to prevailing regulations so as to garner $11 million in increased special education funding.

 

In 4 April the completed audit revealed $112 million (not $140 million as the Finance Division had previously indicated) to be in the unassigned fund balance;  this placed the amount in the fund to be less than the 8% stipulated by MPS Board of Education of Education rules;  the Board approved an additional $3.6 million for deposit in the unassigned fund balance, so as to meet the 8% standard.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………..

 

 

The following contracts have been signed by Minneapolis Public Schools officials (mostly Senior Human Resources Officer Alicia Miller and Senior Executive Officer Ryan Strack) with senior officers of the Center for Effective School Operations (CESO) >>>>>

 

Transportation Contract, 28 October 2025 through 31 January 2026

 

>>>>>                  $!40,406.25

 

Transportation Contract, 14 November 2025 through 30 June 2026

 

>>>>>                    $82,500.00

 

Data Extraction and Costing Model Customization Training and Support,

14 July 2025 through 30 June 2026

 

>>>>>                    $45,500.00

 

Executive consulting support for MPS Human Services at a rate of $195 per hour for an amount not to exceed

 

>>>>>                     $45,000.00

 

These figures total

 

>>>>>                  $312,906.25

 

The Lisa Sayles-Adams administration has also signed contract with CESO to provide support for the Finance Division;  the contract extends from 20 January 2026 through 20 January 2027, with payment given as $68,865 per month.  For the twelve-month period, this would total

 

>>>>>                  $826,380.00

 

Additional work may also be provided at a rate of $195 per hour.

 

……………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………..

 

Thus,

 

Total expenditure for contracts concluded by June 2026 was

 

>>>>>                  $312,906.25

 

Total expenditure for support to the Finance Division when the contract concludes in 20 January 2027 will be

 

>>>>>                  $826,380.00

 

These figures total             $1,139,286.25

 

 

The contract with the law firm Greene-Espel (to investigate the health care account transfers) totaled $120,000. 

 

The contract with Sepler Associates to investigate and assess climate and culture in the Finance Division totaled $29,000.

 

Thie brings total expenditures for external contract services related to the Minneapolis Public Schools Finance Division to

 

>>>>>          $1,288,286.25            <<<<<<<

 

 

……………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………..

 

 

Thus, the Lisa Sayles-Adams Administration has committed to paying $1,288,286.25 for services related to the Minneapolis Public Schools Finance Division.  Then majority of payments have or will go to the Center for Effective School Operations. 

 

By July 2026, some of those who have followed activity of the Minneapolis Public Schools for many years were questioning the wisdom and motivation for these payments and for what they deemed unfair innuendo cast upon Aaron Gilbert, Ibrahima Diop, and Tariro Chapinduka:

 

Investment banker Sara Spafford Freeman told Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Anthony Lonetree that she believes the district has “thrown longtime employees under the bus and probably ruined their careers with innuendo about wrongdoing.  Noting that there is no evidence that the $3 million went missing, she comments also that the district’s ability properly to track nearly one billion dollars in transactions per year, she says that “Every third party who’s reviewed MPS finances---  from auditors to investigators---  has said throughout the Lisa Sayles-Adams’s time as superintendent that the district lacks the financial controls necessary for managing an organization of its size.  The Board of Education has heard this finding for years.”

 

Similarly with regard to treatment of longtime finance officials at the Minneapolis Public Schools, retired MPS principal Jim Clark told Lonetree that he considers the finance division’s issues to be partly to staffing cuts, a consequence of the district’s failure to address a glut of underutilized school buildings that added to the financial burden of the district.

 

“They’ve been talking about the need to close some of the smaller schools and never done it,” Clark told Lonetree.  “They take money where they need to take it, and the departments suffer.”  Of Diop, Clark said, he “was so trusted by everyone who knew him. If you’d talk to all the principals, they’d say he was a good man; he knew what he was doing.”

 

And former MPS Board of Education member Jenny Arneson, a former Minneapolis school board told Lonetree that Diop excelled, even though his team lacked the “segregation of duties” that ensures no one staff member is likely to contravene proper procedures.

 

Of the former MPS Senior Finance Officer, Arneson said, “I have always thought highly of Mr. Diop, and it wasn’t just me.  He and his team were recognized nationally while I was on the board, and our credit rating was high. We had relatively positive audits, although they always suggested we further segregate duties, which I understood to be difficult given the department’s   limited resources.”

 

These sentiments resonate with an article (13 June 2026) written by Star Tribune business columnist Evan Ramstad.  Writing that “A hasty, messy removal of three finance leaders at the start of the year has turned into what appears to be a deflection effort” constituting “the strange ouster of Minneapolis school finance officials at a critical time.”

 

Ramstad, after reviewing the evidence and interviewing Ibrahima Diop, writes,

 

“To me, it’s an unfair ending to the tenure of the second most-powerful administrator in Minneapolis schools and two others caught in the maelstrom.  Diop until then had a solid public reputation.  After landing at a district with enormous competitive pressures and declining enrollment in 2015, Diop restored MPS’ bond rating, boosted its budget reserves and navigated a deficit two years later that foreshadowed the one it now faces. He won a national award as top CFO among big-city schools in 2022.”

 

Article #5 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 1, July 2026

My Public Comments to a Hopeless Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education and Inept Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams at the Regular Business Meeting of Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 

 

A Regular Business Meeting of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education occurred on 28 July 2026, earlier than usual in the summer.  We have primaries in Minnesota on 11 August, so the meeting was held this year in the month of July that is usually (blessedly) taken off;  the statute prohibiting school board and other government meetings taking place during the hours of and on the day of the primary would not seem to have forestalled a meeting on 4 August (the first Tuesday of the month), so for some reason 28 July must have worked out better for the members of the Board.

 

My Public Comments at this meeting went as follows >>>>>

 

>>>>> 

 

Gary Marvin Davison, New Salem Educational Initiative, just a 12-minute walk from the Davis Center, teaching students academically abused by the Minneapolis Public Schools for at least four and half decades.  And the abuse gets heavier all the time:

 

The most recent MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) data indicates that the percentage of MPS students proficient in mathematics is 35%, and in Reading 42%.  For Hispanic, Native American, and African American students, in no category do these students reach above 15% academic proficiency.  You are always complaining about the underfunding of public education;  but given the great number of government funding priorities, making a case for providing additional funding for an institution producing such terrible results should be a forlorn attempt.

 

And the financial woes of the district are your fault:

 

Long ago you should have evaluated building usage, given a situation in which student populations in at least nine schools languish at less than 50% student enrollment by comparison with building capacity.  Central office staff reductions will never be the key to balancing a budget, since 87% of district expenses go for salaries to districtwide staff, mostly teachers, education support professionals, and building administrators;  however, such reductions would free up several million dollars to meet other budgetary needs, as well as symbolizing a proper sense of priorities at a time of economic crisis.

 

But in fact, although the administration has implied in various statements that central office reductions have been made, that is decidedly untrue.  Staffing at the Davis Center in May 2026 was at 580, more than the 571 of September 2025, and essentially a figure similar to those witnessed amidst seasonal fluctuations for many months.

 

And as to the financial woes, the administration and Board have unconscionably attempted to shift the blame by impugning the reputation of former MPS finance officials who in fact year after year secured the highest bond rating for the district, properly maintained an unassigned fund balance of at least eight percent (8%), creatively utilized ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds when they were available during COVID, and provided funding for each academic year.

 

The key vexations of the Minneapolis Public Schools are knowledge-deficient curriculum as actually delivered and poor teaching at the median.

 

I have multiple platforms for conveying facts pertinent to the Minneapolis Public Schools, including my blog.  Anyone who wants to understand better the lamentable current situation at the Minneapolis Public Schools, can start, then, by going to 

http://www.newsalemeducation.blogspot.com

 

 

<<<<< 

 

 

..........................................................................

 

 

The meeting was short in the extreme, with the main presentation coming from lobbyist Josh Downham, who referred to a mere nine-page document giving an update on legislative funding.

 

Questions and comments from members of the Board on this presentation and other matters indicate that there is no hope of making the necessary changes for academic improvement as long as this Board membership and this superintendent (Lisa Sayles-Adams) are in place.

 

 

 

 

 

Front Matter and Contents >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 2, August 2026

 Volume XIII, No. 2

August 2026  

 

Journal of the K-12 Revolution:

Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

Candidates Vying for Seats on the

Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education

In the Tuesday, 3 November 2026 General Election

      

A Five-Article Series

 

A Publication of the New Salem Educational Initiative

Gary Marvin Davison, Editor    

 

Candidates Vying for Seats on the

Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education

In the Tuesday, 3 November 2026 General Election

       

A Five-Article Series

                                   

Gary Marvin Davison

New Salem Educational Initiative

Copyright © 2026

 

Contents

 

Introduction                                                                                                                         

 

Results of the 11 August 2026 Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Primary and Candidates Who Will Now Vie for Seats for Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the General Election (November 2026)

 

Article #1                                                                                                                               

 

Candidates for the At-Large Seaton the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the 3 November 2026 Election:  Collin Beachy, Christin Crabtree Stephanie Johnson, and Michael Baskins

 

Article #2                                                                                                                            

 

Candidates for the District 1 Seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the 3 November 2026 Election:   Abdul Abdi and Ben Lattimore

 

Article #3                                                                                                                              

 

Candidates for the District 3 Seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the 3 November 2026 Election:   Shannon Gibney

 

Article #4                                                                                                                            

 

Candidates for the District 5 Seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the 3 November 2026 Election:   Molly Chase and Rebecca Dryden

 

Article #5                                                                                                                             

 

Toward the 3 November 2026 General Election for Seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education.

 

Introduction >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 2, August 2026

Introduction

 

Results of the 11 August 2026 Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Primary and Candidates Who Will Now Vie for Seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the General Election (November 2026)

 

Results of the 11 August 2026 Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education primary were as follows:

 

Results of the 11 August 2026 Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Primary

 

At-Large

 

Christin Crabtree                         45,254   (38.6%)

Collin Beachy                                 43,276   (34.0%)                                                        

Stephanie Johnson                       18,797   (14.7%)

Michael Baskins                              9,578   (  7.5%)

Clifton CJ Henderson                      6,551   (  5.1%)

 

Since more than four candidates filed for the two available seats, these candidates participated in the primary to be held on 11 August 2026;  the four top vote-getters now will proceed to the general election on 3 November 2026.

 

Thus, these four candidates will now vie for two at-large positions on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education   >>>>>

 

Michael Baskins

Collin Beachy                                                                                          

Christin Crabtree                                                     

Stephanie Johnson                        

 

District 1

 

Abdul Abdi

Ben Lattimore

 

Since only two candidates filed for the available seat, these candidates will proceed to the general election on 3 November 2026.

 

District 3

 

Shannon Gibney

 

Since only one candidate filed for the available seat, this candidate will proceed to the general election on 3 November 2026 and, barring an unusually successful write-in candidacy, will in all likelihood be the next representative for District 3.

 

District 5

 

Becca Dryden

Molly Chase

 

 

Since only two candidates filed for the available seat, these candidates will proceed to the general election on 3 November 2026.

 

……………………………………………………………………….

 

Of the above candidates, Collin Beachy (At-Large) and Abdul Abdi (District 1) are incumbents.

 

Current Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education members Joyner Emerick (At-Large), Lisa Skjefte (District 3), and Norvell (District 5) decided not to run for re-election.

 

Seats for District 2, District 4, and District 6 are not up for election this cycle;  those districts will be contested in November 2028.

Article #1 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota<, Volume XIII, Number 2, August 2026

Article #1

 

Candidates for the At-Large Seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the Tuesday, 3 November 2026 General Election:  Collin Beachy, Christin Crabtree Stephanie Johnson, and Michael Baskins

 

The following candidates will be vying for one of the two at-large seats available on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education in the Tuesday, 3 November general election:

 

 

Michael Baskins           (At-Large)

 

Michael Baskins was one of five candidates in the 11 August Primary vying for the two available at-large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education;  as one of the top four vote getters, he now proceeds to the Tuesday, 3 November 2026, general election (along with Collin Beachy, Christin Crabtree, and Stephanie Johnson). 

 

The following is information obtained mostly from Baskins's website:

 

……………………………………………………………………….

 

Letter to the Community

 

Hello Neighbors,

 

I wanted to explain my decision to run for Minneapolis School Board- At Large. This was not a decision taken lightly or rashly. I have been increasingly concerned about the performance of the current School Board and MPS Administration. As I watched local school board meetings over the past few years, I’ve seen a School Board that routinely fails in its oversight duties of the Administration. I’ve seen a School Board that asks no questions and has no feedback for the Administration routinely during their meetings. I’ve seen a School Board asleep at the wheel. I was further dismayed when year after year the MPS Board has failed to formulate a long term strategic plan for the financial stability of the district. I’ve seen a lack of enthusiasm to come up with financial solutions. In 2024 the School Board promised to do a financial analysis on the benefits of closing or consolidating the many half empty schools in the district. We are still waiting for this report. For many, including myself, we have had enough of this School Board that is asleep at the wheel. 

 

We’ve recently seen MPS schools operating at 10% of student capacity but being renovated for millions of dollars. We’ve seen the whole financial department fired while the Administration and School Board have “no comment” and local whistleblowers suggest massive financial negligence or worse. We’ve seen Math and Reading proficiency continue to decline over the last 10 years and remaining persistently near the bottom in the State. We’ve seen mass MPS layoffs and rehiring every few years. We’ve seen MPS relying on short term financing and hail marry financing from the state, local, or millage levels to keep the system going.

 

Parents and would-be parents like myself should be worried about the trajectory of MPS. And of course, all of these problems cannot be blamed on a single person or decision. But in order to make progress toward a better tomorrow we need a School Board willing to ask the hard questions and be 100% transparent and accountable to the public. We need School Board that doesn’t accept that MPS will always be an underachieving district but a Board that believes that Minneapolis can be a top performing school district and works tirelessly to make it so. 

 

I care deeply about the City of Minneapolis and the immense duty that Public Schools are entrusted with to educate and shape our youth. I am worried that the Administration is not living up to this sacred duty.

 

I would be honored if you voted for me to represent you as Minneapolis School Board Member- At Large. Know that I will ask the hard questions and always be transparent and accountable with you the student, parents, and residents of our GREAT city.

 

Vision

 

Ensure all Decisions are Student Centered, Data Driven

Student academic achievement and character development are THE MISSION and always the top priority. I will be laser focused on ensuring a data driven approach to looking at student achievement both in and outside the classroom. Data is not just numbers but conversations with students, parents, and teachers to understand what is and is not working.

 

Improve the Working Environment for Our Teachers

 

Teachers are our most important resource to accomplish our mission. Investing in retaining our high quality teachers by maintaining a stable workforce, a competitive pay package, and accountability for administrator performance is critical. Attracting new talent into the district through competitive incentives and a supportive work culture needs to be tracked and improved.

 

Provide Transparency in All District Matters with the Public

 

MPS has faced a number of scandals recently including the laying off of the entire Finance Department, allegations of financial negligence or worse, however the School Board has not communicated at all with the public on this topic. It is critical that the School Board be transparent with the public.

                                                                                     

Ensure Long Term Strategic Planning

 

It is critical to return MPS to a long term strategic planning framework instead of short term financial maneuvers. MPS has had a chaotic environment with yearly layoffs and large changes to the student experience yearly due to the short term planning of the current administration. Clear and transparent strategic goals and a framework to achieve year over year improvements in student performance and student enrollment for the district are needed. The School Board and administration should be held accountable to hitting these targets.

 

Provide Accountability and Oversight of All Administrative Decisions

 

Ask the hard questions and demand accountability from MPS administration. The School Board should carefully review major program changes, capital investments, staffing decisions, and strategic plans to ensure they serve students and support long-term success. Too often, the current Board accepts administrative decisions without sufficient scrutiny or public explanation. Promised financial studies have gone unfinished or unpublished, including analysis of the costs and potential savings associated with operating 30–40% more school capacity than enrollment requires. Greater oversight means asking difficult questions, requiring evidence, and providing the public with clear explanations when major decisions are made.

 

Ensure Financially Responsible Decision Making

 

MPS needs a long-term plan to stabilize its finances. The district has repeatedly faced large deficits, layoffs, and requests for additional taxpayer funding without fully pursuing available cost savings. The School Board should complete and publicly release its analysis of excess school capacity and other potential savings, while carefully evaluating major expenditures and investments. The district has also left more than $10 million in available state funding unclaimed due to administrative failures. New taxes and teacher layoffs should be last resorts, not substitutes for finding efficiencies and addressing structural problems. Minneapolis families deserve transparency, responsible budgeting, and a School Board willing to make difficult financial decisions.

 

Prioritize All Students Needs

 

All students deserve coursework and instruction that is tailored to their needs. That includes English as a Second language students, Special Needs Students, and High Performing students. MPS students deserve opportunities in both their core and elective coursework that is tailored to their educational needs. Having these options that suit your child are what retains students in our district and keeps MPS from further losing students to charter or suburban.

 

Parent Engagement

 

Ensure Parents are engaged in providing feedback and that this feedback is taken seriously. Perform surveys across the district to learn about district experiences and implement corrections.

 

Schools as Community Centers

 

Ensure that MPS Schools are neighborhood hubs for after school activities, including arts and sports. Ensure that MPS provides competitive after school activities as compared with our suburban peers and invest in these programs to retain students. Further these resources should be utilized by the broader neighborhood and community where appropriate to make the schools hubs for community engagement.

 

 

Meet Michael

 

About Michael Baskins

 

I am excited to represent your voices on the Minneapolis School Board as a fierce advocate for residents who are demanding transparency and accountability.

 

Growing up in the Metro Detroit region of Michigan, I have always been deeply engaged with local politics and grassroots organizing. Over the years, I organized for DFL candidates and served as a leader with Voters Not Politicians—a highly influential citizen-led anti-gerrymandering organization.

 

My engineering career eventually brought me to Minneapolis in 2018. Upon arrival, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the city and the deep civic passion of its people. It didn’t take long for me to decide to make Minneapolis my permanent home—a place where I could truly plant roots and where I hope to one day raise a family of my own.

 

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I have worked as an automotive and aerospace designer for the last ten years. Having engineered systems for major companies like Polaris and Honeywell, my day-to-day experience requires intense collaboration, relationship building, and balancing complex tradeoffs to reach a final solution that all stakeholders can support.

 

I intend to bring that exact same methodical, focused, and data-driven approach to my leadership on the School Board to ensure our district operates efficiently, transparently, and effectively for our students.

 

Collin Beachy

 

Collin Beachy was one of five candidates in the 11 August Primary vying for the two available at-large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education;  as one of the top four vote getters, he now proceeds to the Tuesday, 3 November 2026, general election (along with Michael Baskins, Christin Crabtree, and Stephanie Johnson). 

 

The following is information obtained mostly from Beachy's website:

 

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My Vision: Strong Public Schools using the ABCD Model 

Accountability 

 

Families, students, staff, and taxpayers deserve transparency, responsible stewardship, and systems that work effectively

 

In a complex system like a school district, issues can and do occur. What matters is how leadership responds. That means addressing problems directly, ensuring they are corrected, and putting stronger systems in place so they do not happen again.

 

Accountability is more than assigning blame; it is defined by ownership, transparency, and follow-through. By prioritizing these values, we build essential trust with our students, families, staff, and the community. 

 

Belonging

 

Every student deserves to fell seen, supported, and valued in their school community.

 

Belonging is not just about being present, it is about being connected. Students learn best when they feel safe, respected, and part of a community that believes in them.

This means creating environments where all students—regardless of background—have access to the support and opportunities they need to succeed.

Consistency

 

Students thrive when expectations, programming, and support systems are stable and reliable across the district. These principles guide my work as Board Chair and shape my vision for Minneapolis Public Schools becoming a true destination district for families.  Students and families deserve stability. 

 

Consistency means clear expectations, reliable systems, and follow-through at every level of the organization. It ensures that decisions are aligned, communication is clear, and schools can focus on teaching and learning without unnecessary disruption.

 

Strong systems create strong outcomes. When we are consistent, we build confidence across our entire district.

 

 

Destination District

 

Minneapolis Public Schools should be a place where families choose to enroll and are proud to stay. Becoming a destination district starts with getting the fundamentals right: strong instruction, supportive school environments, and systems that function effectively.


This goal also requires strong partnerships. We must work collaboratively with families, educators, and our unions to build trust and move our schools forward together. When these relationships are grounded in respect and shared purpose, our students benefit.


While we have faced challenges, we are actively addressing them by strengthening systems, improving operations, and ensuring resources reach students where they are needed most. Becoming a destination district does not happen overnight; it requires consistent, responsible decisions and a commitment to continuous improvement. 

 

 

Letter on Website

 

Dear Friends, 

 

For more than two decades, I’ve dedicated my career to public education and student support.

 

Before serving as Chair of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, I worked directly with students and families in classrooms, behavioral support programs, and student services roles across Minnesota.



I’m not someone who entered education through politics.



I entered this work because I believe every student deserves adults who will advocate for them, support them, and refuse to give up on them.



As a special education teacher working primarily with students receiving Emotional and Behavioral Disorder (EBD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) services, I’ve spent my career

helping young people navigate challenges while building systems of support around them. That experience shapes how I lead today.



I believe strong public schools require accountability, collaboration, stability, and a clear vision for the future — especially during difficult moments.

 

That’s the work I remain committed to doing for Minneapolis students, families, and educators every day. That's why I'm running, and I'd be honored to have your support.



Thank you. 

 

 

Quick Facts Pertinent to Collin Beachy Given on Website

 

Quick Facts About Me: 

 

  • Minneapolis Public Schools Board Chair 
  • Elected Member At-Large 2022 
  • Special Education Teacher 
  • 20+ Years in Education 
  • Advocate for Student Mental Health Supports 
  • Minneapolis Resident for 20+ Years
  • Supporter of Strong Public Schools & Labor Partnerships
  • Grew up in Staples, Minnesota
  • M.A. Autism Spectrum Disorder, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN
  • B.A. Elementary Education & Coaching, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

 

 

After the murder of George Floyd and the Minneapolis educators strike, I felt a growing responsibility to do more than serve students inside my classroom alone. 

 

Like many educators, I saw firsthand the challenges facing our schools — staffing shortages, student mental health needs, financial instability, and growing divisions within public education. 

 

I also saw the incredible dedication of our educators, support staff, and families. I decided to run for school board because I believed then as I do now, that Minneapolis needs leaders who understood both the realities inside our classrooms and the responsibility of governing a large public institution. 

Since being elected in 2022, I’ve worked to help stabilize our district, strengthen accountability, supported students and staff, and guided Minneapolis Public Schools through some of the most significant challenges in its history.

 

During my tenure as Board Chair, I have consistently advocated for increased investment in public education and greater transparency regarding financial pressures. That's why I am actively engaged in community advocacy, which is essential to ensuring equity in education.

 

United Leadership

Strong Collaboration & 

Mutual Trust

 

Effective school boards lead as a united team, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust. 

 

We can:

 

  • Panel a commission of students, educators, administration, board and community members tasked with creating measures to reduce the chances of future strikes.
  • Create more concrete working relationships with parents and community stakeholders.
  • Restore public trust in public schools by increasing transparency among the administration and board.

 

A Clear Vision & High Expectations

  

Fully Fund our Schools

 

Our schools aren't being fully funded by the state and federal governments as promised. Due to the fact that we live in a relatively blue part of the state, we must focus on building alliances with school board members in outstate Minnesota where funding is less readily available.

 

  •  Special education funding from state and federal sources could reduce the district's budget burden that currently has to cover the shortfall.
  • Request independent audits of MPS' budget and spending.
  • Ensure charter and magnet schools are required to provide the same level of services that our public schools deliver.
  • Provide pay equity and longevity for our Adult Educators.

 

Accountability & Focus

 

Transparency & Oversight

 

We are in a budget crisis and there are no easy solutions.  However, when that sentence is spoken, how many of us immediately turn to “budget crisis”. We can create the community schools we desire.  

 

We can:

 

  • Removing corporate mentality from district offices and reintroducing a community-oriented approach.
  • Vetting the flow of information coming from the administration.  
  • Enact more oversight of the administration and their cabinet.
  • Ensure our budgetary priorities are ones that more reflect our values as a community and city.

 

Equitable Programming

 

Shared Belief & Values

 

Our curriculums, programming, and professional developments can provide culturally responsive teaching methods that reflect and respect the intersectionality of every one of our students. 

Implementing culturally responsive methods will:

 

  • Center student voices and concerns
  • Honor BIPOC experiences 
  • Bring visibility to Indigenous People and traditions 
  • Protect transgender and non-binary students
  • Provide opportunities for students to connect their learning to their own lives and how they can use that information to take action

 

Recruit & Retain BIPOC Staff

 

Strengthen Contractual Protections

 

Over the past several years, MPS has been losing not only BIPOC families, but also their teachers.  Our

 

BIPOC staff now have Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist (ABAR) protections embedded into their contracts.  This is a good first step towards addressing the needs of our current BIPOC staff as well as becoming more responsive to the specific complexities of teaching in our society and the toll it can take on educators of color.  

 

A Commitment to Aligning & Sustaining Resources:

 

RECRUITMENT

 

  • Dismantle the current process in how job descriptions are created and interviews are conducted.
  • Strengthen protections from 'last-in-first-out' and seniority layoffs.
  • Where are we looking to find BIPOC educators?  We can grow our own!  Who do you know that could make a positive influence on the lives of our students?

 

RETENTION

 

Once employed, our BIPOC staff need support.  Some initial steps we can take are:

 

  • Increase the number of ABAR mentors.  Two mentors covering the entire district is nowhere near sufficient.
  • Provide affinity spaces for BIPOC educators to brainstorm, collaborate, and receive emotional support.
  • Increase opportunities for BIPOC support staff and community members to become teachers. 

 

 

Endorsements

 

Organizations

 

Minnesota State Council

Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus

DFL Minneapolis

MFT 59 (Minneapolis Federation of Teachers) 59

Stonewall DFL

 

Individuals

 

Abdul Abdi - Minneapolis School Board Member, District 1

 

Greta Callahan - Minneapolis School Board Member, District 6

 

Kim Ellison - Minneapolis School Board, Member-At-Large

 

Samantha Sencer-Mura, Minnesota House of Representatives, (63A, DFL)

 

Elliott Payne - Minneapolis City Council, Ward 1

 

Jason Chavez - Minneapolis City Council, Ward 9

 

Aurin Chowdhury - Minneapolis City Council, Ward 12

 

Sydney Jordan, Minnesota House of Representatives, (60A, DFL)

 

Dan Englehart - Commissioner Park Board, District 1

 

Zaynab Mohamed - Minnesota Senate, (63 DFL)

 

Jamison Whiting - Minneapolis City Council, Ward 11

 

Emma Greenman - Minnesota House of Representatives, (63B, DFL)

 

Christin Crabtree

 

Christin Crabtree was one of five candidates in the 11 August Primary vying for the two available at-large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education;  as one of the top four vote getters, she now proceeds to the Tuesday, 3 November 2026, general election (along with Michael Baskins, Collin Beachy, Christin Crabtree, and Stephanie Johnson). 

 

The following is information obtained mostly from Crabtree's website:

 

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Christin Crabtree’s Website Introduction

 

I am Christin Crabtree, and I am running for Minneapolis School Board At-Large. I have been a MPS parent for 21 years.  My son started kindergarten when I was just 23 years old.  I was a single parent with a very limited income, navigated housing insecurity and working hard to give my son every opportunity I could.  I remember my anxiety walking into my first PTO meeting, comparing myself to how I perceived the other caregivers, and more importantly I remember the way my feelings transformed into a sense of belonging and shared purpose amongst our school community.  It was in a Minneapolis Public School where my young family was not only embraced, accepted, and cared for, but it was also where I was empowered to lead.  I have served on PTOs and site councils. I spoke into a bullhorn for the first time at a rally alongside educators and caregivers - and my son. I have written grants for art programs and invested various ways as my two kids have gotten older.

 

Our public schools are the foundation of our democracy.  Schools are the bedrock of community wellbeing and safety.  They are the shared space where we gather together across divisions our society too often expects us to have.  Minneapolis is a city that loves and cares about each other, and we show up time and time again to make that clear.  Nothing has shown that as tangibly as our response to this winter’s ICE invasion.  Minneapolis families and educators came together to raise money and provide mutual aid to ensure that families stayed housed and fed and safe as they sheltered in place.  We organized transportation to school and doctor appointments. We built deep relationships and we learned from each other. 

 

I want to continue building that sense of community and mutual flourishing as your school board member at large.  Public Schools make it possible to imagine and work together towards the Minneapolis we deserve; a city where every resident can thrive.   We are at our best when Minneapolis comes together in solidarity for a larger purpose; we have shown each other what it looks like to build collective action and networks rooted in care.  We have proved to the world that we can win. Now is the time to bring that energy to our public schools.   

 

Why Christin Crabtree Says She Is Running

 

Priority 1:  Grounded and rooted in community

 

Our district is full of vibrant, tightly knit communities of engaged families—a fact proven clearly by the tremendous response to the ICE occupation in the past two months.  I am proud to be a Minneapolis Public Schools caregiver, and I am proud of the immense effort put forth by parents and educators to keep our schools secured, our staff supported, and our neighbors safe. 

 

As a school board member, I will not forget where I come from. It is important for our communities that our leaders work alongside us.  For decades, I have been entrenched in community work, building relationships that give me the confidence and knowledge required to be a leader at the district level. 

I will remain by your side, fighting for equity, resources, and representation for those who need it most.

 

Goals:

 

  • Bring true transparency to the role of school board representation—you will know what I am doing and you will see me engaged in the community
  • Remain accessible to constituents—if you call, I will pick up
  • Advocate for all at the highest levels of decision-making while remaining present in the street-level work

 

Priority 2: Fight for better legislative and collaborative outcomes

 

Through decades of organizing in Minneapolis I have developed trusted relationships with a cross section of community members who know how to get things done. Side by side with neighbors, I have been in our streets and our institutions to deliver meaningful policy change and tangible resources that improve living conditions for people in our city.  

 

Public schools across the state face tremendous funding challenges in the form of unfunded mandates, federal cuts to critical programs, and foreclosing state policies that disproportionately impact services to students with some of the greatest need. School board members should be at the frontline of the legislative battle. We must build a wide coalition  across political and geographic divides, as the funding crisis affects all public schools statewide.

 

Our school board should leave no local stone unturned in the effort to bring more resources into the district. I have built trust with city council members, park board members, leaders in the nonprofit sector and beyond— relationships that are needed precisely at this moment. As a school board member, I will leverage every ounce of good will and think outside the box to ensure our educators and students have what they need to expand and sustain our schools’ offerings.

 

 

Goals:

 

  • Build broad coalitions across Minneapolis and the state to expand funding for public schools at the legislature
  • Collaborate with local governing authorities to expand support for MPS
  • Fight to close cross-subsidy gaps for special education and English language learners

 

 

Priority 3: Attract and retain more students in the district

 

About 20% of eligible children in Minneapolis are enrolled in schools outside of the district. The best way to improve the financial outlook for Minneapolis Public Schools is to show more families that our schools are their best educational options. Our school system is big, and as a MPS caregiver, I know that the district feels a lot smaller when you see it from the community level. Schools are successful when they center community needs and decision-making.  I support the growth of the Full Service Community School model in Minneapolis in order to offers more opportunities for the neighbors to connect with each other through MPS schools in culturally responsive, socially affirming ways while improving outcomes and closing disparities.

 

Goals

 

  • Invest in activities and opportunities that position MPS schools as community hubs; embrace and expand the Full Service Community School Model
  •  Research reasons Minneapolis students choose schools outside the district and develop a data backed, people centered responsive action plan to attract learners to Minneapolis Public Schools  
  • Promote culturally responsive spaces to ensure MPS is a destination district for all students

 

Priority 4: Develop a positive vision for MPS budget

 

Disinvestment in people is not a winning strategy for our future.  Minneapolis needs a positive budget vision that includes expanded revenue through increased enrollment, strengthened policy and funding at the state level, and authentic engagement of our students, caregivers, neighbors, and the people working in our schools through participatory budgeting and policy-making.

 

For too long, the annual budget process has been a source of conflict and distrust.  I advocate for a participatory district budget process that embraces collaborative problem-solving, reframing the focus away from adversarial positions and toward the shared project of addressing needs together.  This approach can strengthen both our district and larger community by deepening engagement both with MPS and each other.  Our students, caregivers, neighbors, and the people working in our schools every day hold valuable insight and have a deep investment in our public schools.  We need all voices at the table, all hands on deck, not only to secure the positive gains educators and families have worked so hard to achieve (like smaller class sizes and expanded support for special education), but also to continue advancing investment of attention, energy, and resources in our schools in the future. It takes all of us for Minneapolis Public Schools to live the mission to “provide a high quality, anti-racist, culturally responsive education for every Minneapolis student.”

 

Goals

 

  • Be active in oversight for financial division of MPS, ensuring our resources are managed with care and transparency 
  • Contribute to new budget vision for MPS, based in collaborative problem-solving, authentic engagement, and possibility
  • Pursue all avenues to increase shared investment of attention, energy, and resources in our public schools 

 

Endorsements for Christin Crabtree

 

Organizations

 

Minnesota State Council

Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus

Liuna!  Minnesota and North Dakota

Take Action Minnesota

Stonewall DFL

AFL/CIO Minneapolis Federation of Labor

Democratic Socialists of America/Twin Cities

Moms Demand Action (Endorsing Gun Sense Candidates)

CAIR Action

Minneapolis Families for Public Schools

Minneapolis Federation of Educators

Minnesota DFL

 

Individuals

 

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“Christin knows our public schools are the foundation for a thriving Minneapolis. She will organize shoulder to shoulder with community members for the schools we deserve. You don’t have to imagine what it would look like to have Christin leading in our schools because she already is: She will make an incredible school board director.”

 

— Ilhan Omar, US House of Representatives

 

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“Educated and informed citizens are the basis of any functioning democracy. This triumvirate of parent leaders is poised to ensure that MPS builds on its assets and empowers all of our children to become the best versions of themselves. That's why I am wholeheartedly endorsing Christin, Becca, and Shannon as our next MPS school board directors."

 

— Keith Ellison, Minnesota State Attorney General

 

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“Christin knows that a strong Minneapolis means strong public schools. From coordinating mutual aid efforts to testifying at the legislature, Christin has a consistent track record of organizing with the community to deliver results for students. I am excited for her to bring her energy to Minneapolis Public Schools in a new way, and proud to endorse her for Minneapolis School Board - At Large.”

 

— Zaynab Mohamed, Minnesota State Senator, SD63

 

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“As an MPS parent, Christin Crabtree is exactly who I want leading on our school board. As a State Senator, Christin’s organizing within Minnesota Families for Public Schools was instrumental in helping me push through $10 million in compensatory aid, including $1 million for MPS. Let’s elect Christin, and let’s keep fighting to fund our schools together!”

 

— Doron Clark, Minnesota State Senate, SD60

 

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“Electing Christin to our school board would add another strong voice for fully funding public schools. As a member of the House Ed Finance Committee, Christin is the exact type of leader I want to work with to advocate for Minneapolis Public Schools at the capitol.”

— Samantha Sencer-Mura, Minnesota House of Representatives, 63A

 

— Aisha Gomez, Minnesota House of Representatives, 62A

 

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“Growing up in Milwaukee Public Schools, I experienced the impacts of the privatization of education first hand. I wish leaders like Christin had been at the helm of my public schools. As the City Council President, I look forward to joining forces with Christin to ensure our students have the education they deserve.”

 

— Elliott Payne, Council President

 

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“Christin’s dedication to our kids is unmatched. I’m ecstatic to work with Christin to make sure our Minneapolis Public Schools have every resource they need. Christin is already a leader in our community, and we need her leadership on the Minneapolis School Board.”

 

— Angela Conley, Hennepin County Commissioner

 

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“I am unbelievably excited that Christin is running for school board at large! She has a gift for showing up for community, centering their needs, driving forward action that brings people along – and she does it without compromising the values of the people she aims to serve and help. She’s a talented organizer that has shown up, even when she doesn’t have to. She stood up for our kids, families, and educators without holding any titles.

 

She doesn’t shy away when things get tough, actually that’s what makes her dig in further. She will be ready on day one to be an excellent school board member – because her experience is deep and her motivation to create a better community for everyone is palpable. Vote for Christin Crabtree!”

 

— Aurin Chowdhury, Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 12

 

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“Christin is a fighter who has always had the backs of our most vulnerable neighbors. She understands that caring for our collective future means caring for all of our kids.”

 

— Jason Chavez, Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 9

 

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— Soren Stevenson, Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 8

 

— Aisha Chughtai, Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 10

 

— Robin Wonsley, Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 2

 

— Omar Fateh, Minnesota State Senator, SD62