Birmingham City Board of Education, District 1 

Keith Rice

Age: 58

Residence: Killough Springs neighborhood

Political experience: Previous candidate for Birmingham City Council and school board positions. Member, Birmingham City Schools Task Force for District 1; elected as resident council president for Cooper Green housing community and as first citywide president for all Birmingham Housing Authority public housing communities. Montgomery County Democratic Conference, youth coordinator representing Alabama State University while a student.

Professional experience: Investigator for law firms.

Civic experience: Member, Killough Springs Neighborhood Association, since 1999; president, PTA Booster Club; advocate for securing $52 million in funding for new Huffman High School and Huffman Academy. Activist and community liaison for Birmingham schools and advocate for improvement to Five Mile Road and establishment of the East Pinson Valley Community Recreation Center on campus at Jefferson State Community College.

Education: Alabama State University, bachelor of science degree in criminal justice with minor in human services; president, ASU Student Government Association and member, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Ramsey High School, graduate.

Main issues: Rice has said his having been a public servant prepared him for the challenges of helping to meet needs, solve problems, establish consensus building and monitor results.  He chose to run for the board of education because, “I am tired of seeing the political games being played with our young people’s futures.”  If elected, Rice would like to re-establish the city’s school system as a “preeminent educational system where learning and teaching co-exist,” and where disciplined principals, accountable leadership, transparent decision making and community involvement help elevate minds and meet expectations.

Rice did not respond to BirminghamWatch’s questionnaire.