Abdul Abdi, the finance chair and treasurer of the Minneapolis Public Schools board, toured Webster Elementary and met with parents who fear school closures will push families farther from public education. He told the crowd, “I’m here to listen to you,” and pledged to make sure every child has access to early‑learning programs.
Why pre‑K matters to District 1
Abdi, a 51‑year‑old software architect from Northeast Minneapolis, entered school‑board service after his oldest daughter enrolled in kindergarten. All three of his other children attended local public schools, including Edison High and Northeast Middle. He says roughly 50 % of Minneapolis children now attend schools outside the district, and he believes a universal pre‑K offering would be the single biggest draw to bring them back.
“We need to give parents and the community enough time to be heard,” Abdi said. He warned that the district’s current transformation plan – which proposes closing up to 16 schools – is moving too quickly without broad input. He would vote “no” on any plan that does not include a robust, neighborhood‑based pre‑K rollout.
Community‑centered solutions
Abdi highlighted several practical ideas: expanding pre‑K to every school site, creating “high‑five” pre‑K slots for families who lack access, and keeping schools where neighborhoods already exist. He also noted the need for a high‑school humanities program to complement the Ella Baker humanities elementary school, and urged the district to use Metro Transit to let students attend schools with open seats.
He pointed to the district’s three Spanish dual‑language elementary schools – Emerson, Green and Las Estrellas – and said Las Estrellas has capacity to grow, while Emerson is at full enrollment. Abdi believes careful enrollment projections can accommodate future growth without crisis.
Fiscal transparency and funding
As treasurer, Abdi says transparency is a top priority. The board now posts a website showing how dollars flow to classrooms, and has instituted checklists and written procedures to address audit‑identified weaknesses in financial controls.
He also urges the state to increase funding, noting that transportation, employee contracts and utility costs rise each year while the district’s budget remains flat. “We must protect classroom dollars and eliminate unnecessary spending,” he said, emphasizing that any cuts should not fall on teachers or students.
Looking ahead
Abdi is running for re‑election to represent District 1, which covers most of Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis. He says his goal is to make schools welcoming homes for all families, to keep children safe, and to ensure parents have a strong voice at the board.
“Education in the early years is the top priority for families,” Abdi concluded. He plans to keep listening, to delay any rushed closures, and to push for expanded pre‑K as the cornerstone of a thriving public‑school system.
Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.
