[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 8, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E468-E469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING 175 YEARS OF TOLEDO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2024

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of a milestone in our 
region's history. Toledo Public Schools celebrated 175 years of 
education today.
  As the school system notes, ``or 175 years, Toledo Public Schools has 
been one of the most influential institutions in the history of our 
city. The lives of hundreds of thousands of Toledoans have been formed 
within the walls of their neighborhood schools, leading to each one's 
mark on the future of our society. From its inception on May 8, 1849 to 
present day, TPS remains a progressive, forward-thinking school 
district.''
  The first Toledo Public School Board was convened 175 years ago 
today. Only two years later, in 1851, Lagrange School was the first 
school to open. Two years after that, on August 15, 1853, the 
cornerstone was laid for the high school. When it opened in 1854 it 
also provided an education for girls, graduating the first young lady 
in the original Class of 1857. Leading social change again and again, 
Toledo Public Schools became integrated in 1871 and opened a school for 
children with disabilities in 1918.

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  Toledo has long been at the forefront of the election of women to 
public office, starting with the election of Pauline Steinem to the 
board of education in 1904, the first woman elected any office in the 
city. Many years later, in 1990 Toledo Public Schools would once again 
prove itself a progressive agent for change with the appointment of Dr. 
Crystal Ellis, a longtime educator, as the first African-American 
Superintendent.
  In addition to academic excellence, vocational and college 
preparatory training, Toledo Public Schools' students have won praise 
on the athletic field as well. From its beginnings, when Scott High 
School was declared the national football champs in 1916 and subsequent 
years, Toledo Public Schools have boasted many powerhouse athletic 
teams. At the same time, leading citizens in our community trace part 
of their success to the lessons learned in Toledo Public Schools.
  Reflecting the general population growth during the baby boom 
generation, Toledo Public Schools saw its highest numbers of both 
schools and students during the 1960s. Even now, it remains one of the 
area's largest employers and the fourth largest school district in the 
State of Ohio. Today, Toledo Public Schools is led by Dr. Romulus 
Durant, himself a product of Toledo Public Schools, who ably leads the 
school district's navigation in the 21st Century, declaring students, 
teachers, parents, administrators, and community to be ``TPS Proud.''
  Toledo Public Schools is the core of our city. Graduates of years 
past, present and future are tied to one another with an invisible 
thread with memories and experience connecting them.
  In the Fall of 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited 
the student at Scott High School, delivering inspiring oratory. Since 
its inception 175 years ago, Toledo Public Schools has delivered on the 
promise of words Dr. King once spoke when he explained, ``The function 
of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think 
critically. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true 
education.'' As Toledo Public Schools marches TPS Proud into the next 
years, that goal remains strong. Onward.

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