The Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education interviewed four candidates to serve as the representative for District 3 on Nov. 7. Faheema Feerayare, who was elected in 2023, resigned on Sept. 17. Her replacement will serve through Jan. 4 2027.
There were eight applicants for the position, which the board narrowed to four finalists: Lucie Skjefte, Fatimah Hussein, Michael Dueñes and Christin Crabtree. Each applicant’s materials can be found on the district’s website. The finalists were given 15 minutes total to answer the three questions. There were no follow-up questions from the board.
The board asked each candidate the same three questions:
- Our strategic plan has four primary goals. The superintendent was hired to manage our day-to-day operations. Can you share your vision for how the school board should govern in support of the strategic plan and its goals?
- How would you work to engage students, families, and community and ensure all voices are heard?
- Hard decisions will need to be made given our budget crisis. Do you have any innovative ideas to address this? How will you determine what gets prioritized?
The board will use ranked choice voting at its Nov. 12 board meeting to vote for the District 3 school board director. The new board member will be sworn in at the end of the meeting on Nov. 12.
The interviews can be watched online.
Lucie Skjefte
Skjefte has served as the chair of the district’s American Indian Parent Advisory Committee for over five years. In that role, she delivered the committee’s vote of non-concurrence to the school board last spring. The committee called on the district to do more to address the needs of American Indian students, particularly student mental health.
Skjefte has indicated she will run for the District 3 seat in 2026, if appointed.
Fatimah Hussein
Hussein is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and a current Minneapolis Public Schools parent. She works as a licensed graduate social worker, experience she says has given her “skills in advocacy, conflict resolution, and crisis management.” Hussein is also the co-founder of the Asiya Sport Hijab, culturally appropriate sportswear that she says empowers “girls to participate in physical activities without compromising their identities.”
Hussein is undecided about running for the District 3 seat in 2026.
Michael Dueñes
Dueñes previously ran for an at-large seat on the school board in 2020 on a platform opposing the Comprehensive District Design. He was endorsed in that race by incoming District 6 representative Great Callahan while she was serving as president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.
Dueñes is the parent of a student who graduated from South High School this spring. He works as a senior policy analyst at one2one, and previously worked in academia. In his application, Dueñes says he wants to focus on recruiting students who reside in the district but do not currently attend a district school.
Dueñes will run for the District 3 seat in 2026 if appointed.
Christin Crabtree
Crabtree is currently the parent of a student attending Roosevelt High School, and previously served on the board of the Domestic Abuse Project. She is currently working as an organizer for Nenookaasi, a group providing services for unhoused people. In her application, Crabtree highlights her concerns about the “privatization movement” in education and a desire to educate others about this topic.
Crabtree managed KerryJo Felder’s campaign for at-large school board representative in 2022, where Felder was endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. Crabtree resigned after Felder revealed a substance use disorder and confirmed allegations that she physically abused her husband in front of his children.
Crabtree says she is undecided whether she would run for the District 3 seat in 2026.
