College Street Elementary staff members welcomed parents and students to the first day of classes this past Wednesday as the Lindale ISD began the 2024-25 school year. (Photo by Terry Cannon)
After 18 years at the helm of the Lindale ISD, Superintendent Stan Surratt still gets excited when the new school year arrives.
And who can blame him?
He oversees a district that is considered one of the best in East Texas if not in the entire state. Taxpayers have shown confidence in the district’s leadership to the extent of signing off on bond issues to build new facilities and upgrade others.
So, yes, he’s confident this year, which began last week, will be just as productive as all the others.
“The beginning of each year is exciting,’’ he said. “Everyone is refreshed and eager and ready to get going. It’s always a pleasure to see the smiling faces of the kids.’’
Surratt, who is the only superintendent this group of seniors has known, understands and appreciates the effort of teachers and staff as each new year begins.
“We are very fortunate to have the teachers and staff we have,’’ he said. “You see the hard work they put in and it’s very rewarding.’’
During the past 18 years, one of the things that has set the Lindale ISD apart is its culture – the Lindale Way as Surratt calls it – which demands accountability not only in the classroom but in all other areas of school life as well.
“Lindale has always had a great culture and we’ve been able to build on that for the past 17 years,’’ he said. “We want to maintain our high standards for academics and student behavior and it also means we are willing to work hard to take care of our families and our kids.’’
The Lindale ISD has welcomed a larger than usual number of new teachers this year simply because the district continues to grow. But Surratt noted there’s not a shortage of applications to become part of one of the best districts in the state.
“We have more new teachers this year because of various reasons,’’ he said. “Some, of course, are retiring and others have to leave for family reasons. But we’ve managed to add more to accommodate the growth of the district.’’
This is one of the first years in a while when the district hasn’t been in the middle of a construction project of some sort.
Most recently, the Early Childhood Center had a new air conditioning system installed, which came on the heels of new A/C units at Velma Penny Elementary and E.J. Moss Intermediate in the summer of 2023.
Comparatively smaller projects for this year include the purchase of new buses for the transportation department and new seats for the E.J. Moss auditorium.
By their very nature, the first couple of weeks of school are a bit chaotic. But Surratt knows from experience thing will begin to smooth out in short order.
“The first week of school is difficult for everyone, but once everyone learns the process we’ll be ready for another great year,’’ he said.
Spoken like someone who’s been around a few first days of school.
– By Terry Cannon, Editor