As the sun rose on Tuesday morning, it had all the signs of back-to-school. There were proud parents, perfect hair, new school supplies and a mariachi band; it is Texas after all. Hexter Elementary near White Rock Lake made sure the whole neighborhood could take part as they christened a brand ne w building Tuesday morning. “What a beautiful building. Now the buildings on the outside will match all that you’re doing on the inside,” said Stephanie Elizalde, Superintendent, Dallas ISD, to the school’s principal. The district flexing its muscle with a $30 million renovation, improving the physical spaces, along with its strong academic growth. “We are certainly hoping that things like our universal pre-K will also begin to attract some parents that have maybe had to have been paying for preschool, three- and four-year-olds, and they can now send them to us and get a certified teacher in an amazing school anywhere in Dallas ISD,” said Elizalde. Just last week, Richardson ISD was in this same neighborhood, welcoming new families to their district. Schools are competing for families these days, trying to show why their campus is best. TEA is set to release letter grades for each district later this week. “I’m not gonna share until I get those final numbers, and we’re gonna see some high schools move into an A-rated campus. A rating that we haven’t seen,” she said. Dallas ISD is getting a jump on academics this year. While some students were just figuring out where to go, kids like the sixth graders at Tasby Middle were deep into the lesson; they started school last month. “I kind of skipped around, but we’re a good, maybe chapter and a half in,” said Adrienne Henderson,teacher. Henderson says the extra days have already paid off; her students have bounced back from summer break. “You know the kids were there, willing and wanting to learn. Their parents were there wanting them to be here, and it was just really a nice, smooth transition,” Henderson said. No matter when they started, students and teachers feel confident they’re headed in a good direction, not just as a school but as a community. ...read more read less