Special to The Truth
Romules Durant, superintendent/CEO of Ohio’s Toledo Public Schools, received recognition as the 2024 Urban Educator of the Year at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 68th Annual Fall Conference.
Five big-city school superintendents competed for the nation’s highest honor in urban education leadership, recognizing, in alternating years, an outstanding superintendent and school board member from one of the 78 largest urban public-school systems in the country.
Urban school leaders applauded Durant during the Council’s 35th Annual Green-Garner Award Banquet, where he received the prestigious leadership award. Sponsored by the Council and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, the top prize is presented each year in memory of Richard R. Green, the first African American chancellor of the New York City school system, and businessman Edward Garner, who served on the Denver school board.
A graduate of the Toledo school system, Durant has served as superintendent for 11 years, making him the longest serving superintendent in the Council. Under his leadership, the district has had five successful levy campaigns, graduation rates have increased and gifted services for elementary students and Advanced Placement courses for high school students have expanded. In addition, the district has opened five magnet high schools, including the new Toledo PreMedical Science and Health Science Academy, a school that focuses on preparing students for careers in the medical field.
“Romules Durant has been a transformational leader and a tireless advocate for students in Toledo Public Schools to become college and career ready graduates,” said Council Executive Director Ray Hart. “His passion for excellence in his 11 years of steady leadership has shown all of us in urban education what is possible. Our sincere congratulations to Romules and Toledo!”
As the recipient of the 2024 Green-Garner Award, Durant receives a $10,000 college scholarship to present to a student in Toledo Public Schools.
In addition, a second major award was given out by the Council to Mona Al-Hayani, a veteran history teacher at Toledo Early College and a graduate of Rogers High School. Al-Hayani received the 2024 Queen Smith Award at a breakfast last week in Dallas, accepting on behalf of all TPS teachers and urban educators across the country. The Council and McGraw-Hill Education present this award each year in the name of the late Queen Smith, whose life represented honor, excellence, and commitment to urban public education.
This is the first time the Council of Great City Schools named both the Superintendent of the Year and Teacher of the Year from the same district.