A teacher and mentor to Louisville kids: What is this new Metro Council member focused on?

Kumar Rashad knows a thing or two about working with kids.

After all, he has taught for two decades in Jefferson County Public Schools, with the past seven or so years spent teaching math at Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, an alternative school for kids needing academic and social emotional support.

So as he gets settled in as the new Metro Council member for District 3, which covers Shively and several west Louisville neighborhoods, Rashad, a Democrat, said finding ways to provide more opportunities and more hope for young residents is on his to-do list.

The Courier Journal spoke with Rashad, 47, about his background and priorities as he serves on Metro Council. Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Besides teaching, what are you involved in locally?

Rashad: "I am a mentor in a group called Men of Quality. It's based in Louisville and provides mentoring to Black male students in 50 middle and high schools. I'm a union leader (with the Jefferson County Teachers Association, Kentucky Education Association and National Council of Urban Education Associations) in order to really advocate for students by putting in a lot of work to recruit, train and mentor potential teachers, especially minority teachers, in our district." (Rashad has also been an alcohol beverage control office administrator for Shively but said he resigned after joining Metro Council.)

Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like?

"I spent my whole childhood moving. I was born in Cleveland. We went from Cleveland to Kent, Ohio, to Denton, Texas, to Toledo, Ohio, to Grants, New Mexico, then Atlanta and Morrow, Georgia, and then we landed my junior year (of high school) in Frankfort, Kentucky. We moved because my mom was a librarian after initially working as a police officer in Cleveland, and she became a librarian at Kentucky State University. I consider myself a product of our national public school system. I did my undergrad at Kentucky State and earned my master's at the University of Louisville."

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What are your priorities while in office?

"In our district, there aren't a lot of opportunities or things for kids and students to do, so I really want to build that center of community in our area. My dream is to see another community center put in our district ... and also a learning center up in that same area. Part of my learning center that I envision is maybe a special class or course that would allow students or children to understand how to revitalize their neighborhoods, if you will, as far as fixing up homes and dilapidated buildings. I’m really looking forward to working with Shively Mayor Maria Johnson on any of the needs that Shively has.

"I’m really trying to figure out a system in which I can use the Men of Quality example to better our district, finding a robust plan of mentors to guide the kids on their streets. Two weeks ago, one of my students was shot in the head in Shively. That is just a painful process. As far as I know, he’s still struggling in the hospital. My role as a teacher shows our kids are dying, and we’ve got to do something about it, and when I talk to my students, their number one complaint is, there’s nothing to do, which creates a 'devil's playground.' I’m trying to replace that devil’s playground with a more productive playground. I'm focused on abandoned houses and holding landlords accountable. No one should really be paying more than 30% of their income on rent. I’d like to see everyone who goes to eviction court have a right to have a lawyer so we can curb some of these evictions in the city.

"I’d like to see a health center on the other side of the district, somewhere closer to the Algonquin/Dixie Highway area. We’ve got to shop for everything somewhere else. There’s really not any real retail stores, no grocery stores. (We have) a food desert in our area. I'd love to see new businesses like a movie theater, spa and a Whole Foods or Fresh Market. The only thing we keep accepting in our district is affordable housing. We’re oversaturated with affordable housing. We’re oversaturated with liquor stores. We need to give kids hope and opportunity, and you can’t give them hope and opportunity when, to get groceries, they have to go to a liquor store."

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Are you planning on running in November for a full, four-year term?

"I have every intention of running in November because all the dreams I have, there’s no way I can get it done before November. I’m just really anxious to go out and meet more people and gather the support I need to make this happen."

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: New Louisville Metro Councilman Kumar Rashad on priorities, background