Growing up in the blue-collar East Toledo neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio, Romules Durant witnessed the strength of a true community, he says. Factory workers headed to good-paying jobs, fathers coached sports, mothers volunteered in schools, and grandparents looked after the neighborhood kids.

That upbringing now fuels his most ambitious undertaking in more than a decade as CEO/superintendent of Toledo Public Schools: A $100 million transformation of the former University of Toledo Scott Park campus into a community hub.

The plan is sweeping: Two magnet schools (to start), a daycare, a health clinic, a recreational facility (plus a sports dome), and housing for seniors as well as teachers, social workers, police officers, and firefighters. At its core, the Scott Park Campus is about recreating the sense of belonging that shaped Durant’s childhood, he says.

“I grew up surrounded by a community where everyone looked out for one another, and that spirit shaped who I am today,” said Durant. “With the Scott Park Campus, we are reimagining education and restoring the pride of a community.”

He added, “We want our students to be educated here, then employed and living here, along with our employees and city residents.”

Demolition inside four former college buildings started in late April 2025, with the aim of opening  two new magnet schools in time for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Scott Park project is being funded in part by monies raised during a successful levy campaign in November 2024. The five-year levy covers $99 million in improvement bonds.

People muse about how teachers in today’s urban school districts-and the police officers and firefighters who serve urban neighborhoods-should reflect the racial makeup of students and residents, Durant commented. “But no one was coming up with ideas on how to get students interested in those jobs,” he said. This project aims to do just that, he said.

The Brady Educator and Social Services Academy, backed in part by a $1 million gift from a Toledo entrepreneur, will potentially train the next generation of teachers and public safety professionals. Launching with grades 7-9, the school will add a grade each year until it serves grades 7-12.

“The geographic position of the campus will offer our students a community-centered foundation that will foster collaboration, inspire innovation, and prepare them to be leaders who strengthen the social and economic fabric of our city,” said Amerah Archer, senior director of organizational development and engagement for the district, who is overseeing the academy’s launch.

The Construction and Architecture Design Academy will provide students with a direct line into the skilled trades, construction management, and architecture. Its centerpiece will be a cavernous two-story classroom with 24-foot ceilings designed to accommodate cranes, excavators, and even two-story model homes.

Keith Dawson, a retired educator and consultant for the construction academy, worked with architects and local trade unions to get the design right. “I want to emulate the real-world environment as much as possible-for residential, commercial, and industrial jobs-so students are ready when they leave TPS,” he said. The goal is to make the space look and feel like the job sites students will step into after graduation.

Meanwhile, on the campus’s west parking lots, crews are drilling 240 wells, each 400 feet deep, to create a geothermal system to heat and cool the four buildings.

The Toledo community can monitor progress of the renovation and redevelopment project by linking to Scott Park Campus Progress, where images are updated weekly.

“When we finish,” said Durant, “this campus won’t just prepare students for college or careers-it will prepare them to be part of a community that takes care of each other. That’s the legacy I want to leave.”

Durant was named 2024 Urban Educator of the Year by the Council of Great City Schools. Now in his 11^th year, he is the longest-serving superintendent in the Council’s network of 81 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts.