I’m Rajesh Kumar, a proud Edmontonian since 2011 and a seasoned IT professional with 25+ years in consulting, governance, `leadership and strategic planning. I hold an engineering degree from India, an MBA from the University of Alberta, and a MicroMasters from MITx.
In 2019, my professional path intersected with a personal mission. As a parent of a child with a disability, I witnessed the systemic barriers in Alberta’s education system—especially around inclusion. What began as advocacy for my daughter grew into a broader fight for equity.
I’ve served on the Board of GRIT (now Kids Included), co-led the Inclusive Education Committee for Inclusion Edmonton Region, advocated for fair wages for Educational Assistants, I am currently supporting our teachers to support their demands. I also represented parent concerns to the school board and media, and helped families navigate barriers to inclusive education.
I’m committed to building a transparent, accountable, and inclusive public education system where every child belongs and thrives.
Statement of beliefs
Educators, students, and parents are the main pillars of any well-functioning education system supported by the education board, school division, municipal, and provincial governments. As a trustee, I will serve as a bridge between the community and the division, ensuring that parents, educators, and students’ concerns are heard and their needs are met. Education shapes our future, and every decision must reflect the values and aspirations of our community.
I am committed to advocating for supportive learning environments, sufficient resources, and policies that support educators and enable every student to thrive. With your trust, I will uphold transparency and accountability while enhancing collaboration among all levels of governance, including municipal and provincial government.
Together, we can build a robust and truly inclusive education system that listens, adapts, and enables every student to realize their full potential.
Priority areas
Be Parents, Educators, and Students’ Voice, ensuring their concerns are heard and needs are met
Fair funding, training, resources, and infrastructure to meet our students’ and educators’ needs
Inclusive Education where every student feels seen, valued, and enabled to reach the full potential
Views on funding
Public Education is in Crisis — and we all are paying the price. I say this with first-hand experience: our educators are doing everything they can. But they’re being held back by chronic underfunding of Alberta’s public education system. While public schools struggle to meet growing demands, public dollars continue to flow into private institutions — with Alberta offering one of the highest per-student subsidies for private schools in Canada, but last in spending on public schools.
The Board of Trustees plays a key role in collaborating with municipal and provincial government for divisional funding needs, approving the annual budget and the capital plan, and making key decisions about how funds are allocated to reflect the board’s priorities and community needs. resource allocation to ensure students are getting the best value for each dollar spent and financial stewardship of public funds, ensuring accountability to taxpayers and managing the budget to maximize its effectiveness.
How learning conditions can be improved
We need to fund our public education properly, with sufficient resource allocation and optimal utilization, and need to be proactive in building new infrastructure to address the enrollment growth, manage class size. We need to focus on additional training and support for educators to manage the class complexity to support inclusion.
Build communities of practice—spaces where educators across Alberta can share ideas, learn from each other, and grow together. We need professional development that’s tailored to the realities of inclusive education, including trauma-informed approaches and innovative strategies. And we need to eliminate practices that cause harm. Seclusion rooms have no place in a system that claims to value inclusion. Removing them is a step toward healing and trust.
We need to fund public education properly. Inclusion is complex, and complexity requires resources—smaller class sizes, more support staff, and the time to build meaningful relationships with students
How trustees and school boards can best support teachers
Teachers and the educator community play a crucial role at the core of every educational system. So, trustees and boards must listen to them, work with teacher associations to learn about the issues teachers face and possible solutions. Their input is invaluable for developing and implementing policies that support improving the working conditions and meet the needs of educators, students, and the community.
Encourage and support building communities of practice—spaces where educators across Alberta can share ideas, learn from each other, and grow together. Trustees and boards support professional development for educators that’s tailored to the realities of inclusive education, including trauma-informed approaches, staff and student mental health support and innovative strategies.
Trustees and school boards support teachers by making strategic decisions on resource allocation and by implementing policies positively impact the classroom environment and the profession itself.
Views on the new K-6 curriculum
Throughout my campaign, I’ve spoken with many dedicated teachers—and not one felt aligned with the current curriculum. That says a lot. It tells us educators weren’t meaningfully consulted. When teachers feel unheard, students feel the impact.
I heard the same concerns: too much memorization, not enough critical thinking or real-world learning. The curriculum is overloaded, making it hard to plan engaging lessons. And the lack of meaningful Indigenous involvement is deeply troubling—tokenism is not reconciliation.
This isn’t just a curriculum issue—it’s a trust issue. If we want a system that truly serves students, we must start by listening to the experts in the room. Let’s build a curriculum that reflects real life, fosters curiosity, and honors the diverse voices that shape Alberta.