Success Tutoring founder Abdijalil Sheik-Yusuf testifies before the Minnesota Senate Taxes Committee on March 2, 2023. Photo by Andrew Olmscheid/Senate Media Services.
In March 2023, Abdijalil Sheik-Yusuf went before the Minnesota Senate Taxes Committee with a critical plea.
Not enough parents could take advantage of a state tax credit for low-income families for tutoring services from companies like his, Success Tutoring.
“What we have here is not an achievement gap, we have an opportunity gap. We have students who are not able to get the help that they need because the parents cannot afford it,” Sheik-Yusuf said .
Sheik-Yusuf, wearing a plum-colored suit and Louis Vuitton scarf, said Success Tutoring had helped hundreds of students overcome the “literacy curve.” And they could help even more disadvantaged students if lawmakers would support a bill to raise the income ceiling and increase the amount of the credit.
“There’s a saying that we used to use in the classroom: Today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader. If we invest in education, it’s an investment in the child’s future,” Sheik-Yusuf said.