We've been telling you about all the kids headed back to school in North Texas, and now another district is getting settled back in on Wednesday.
Students in Arlington ISD returned to class Wednesday, joining other districts across the area starting the 2024-2025 school year. Enrollment in Arlington ISD topped 50,000.
Superintendent Matt Smith toured schools Wednesday, greeting kids on their first day. He started at Pope Elementary.
"It's a great school. We're proud of our kids here," he says. "When you see the smiling faces of the parents dropping kids off in the morning along with the kids, that's something special, and we're excited to have them here."
Smith became superintendent of Arlington ISD in January. He previously held the same position with Belton ISD in Central Texas.
"It's been wonderful. The Arlington ISD community has been nothing short of amazing to me," he says. "I'm just proud of the work and honored to be here."
Voters in Arlington approved a $966 million bond in 2019. Smith says the work connected to that measure is helping the district design campuses that will let students graduate with a skill they can use in a career or prepare them for college.
He says schools have more collaborative spaces and room for kids to work together.
"They're learning how to communicate well with their peers, how to be able to ask the right questions and how to be able to state your opinion in a way people respect and understand and not offending others," Smith says. "Those social skills are important."
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