Every school district has a superintendent making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, and Lindale is no exception. But if you stop and think about it, how well do you actually know our superintendent?
Lindale’s current superintendent is Stan Surratt. Surratt has been involved in education for over 20 years. He began his education career as a math teacher and coach in Fruitvale, Texas and stayed there for six years. He went on to become the secondary principal for grades six through twelve and later became the superintendent.
“[Fruitvale] had a superintendent position open up, and they offered me the job,” Surratt said. “In that school district, I had the opportunity to learn every aspect of the school district, whether it was finance, maintenance or curriculum.”
After a while, Surratt decided that he was ready to move on and grow professionally. A position in Lindale had opened up, and he jumped at the opportunity to apply.
“I was fortunate and blessed that [Lindale] selected me to be superintendent,” Surratt said. “This is my eleventh year with Lindale ISD, and it feels like only two or three [have] gone by. I think that just shows how well it has gone. It is so enjoyable.”
Surratt’s job as superintendent is to oversee the management of all aspects of the entire school district. He coordinates with the school board and administrative staff to ensure that everything on each of the seven LISD campuses runs smoothly.
“It is a blessing to be in this district and this community,” Surratt said. “I have been blessed with a wonderful staff, and they have helped me and made my job so much easier and better.”
In the eleven years he has been in Lindale, the district has expanded and improved with the building of the new junior high, the reconstruction of the football stadium and the additions made to the high school. During his time as superintendent, Lindale has won countless district, regional and state championships in athletics, fine arts and academics for UIL.
“I could not be more proud of our students and our staff,” Surratt said. “We know that success in those championships, whether district or regional or state level, just does not happen by chance. There is a lot of hard work and leadership that has gone into that. Our students should be held at the highest level and celebrated at the highest level for their great success.”
Outside of his business life, Surratt has many hobbies. These include watching sports, fishing, golfing and spending time with his family. He met his wife while he was still employed in Fruitvale.
“It is a great story, actually,” Surratt said. “She worked at Brookshires as a [cashier], and I just went to buy groceries. I was a single young man. Back in those days, you did not have credit cards; you wrote checks, and on the checks, you would have to put your phone number in case they needed to contact you. She got that number off of my check and she called me and gave me her number.”
Surratt has been with his wife, Julie, for nearly 30 years. Together, they have two children: Ryan and Katie.
“My son is [a Texas A&M] graduate, and he went on to seminary school and now is a pastor of Damascus Baptist Church, where we now attend,” Surratt said. “We are super proud of him. He was blessed with a wonderful wife, and they have two wonderful sons that I enjoy more than anything: Christian and Shepherd. Then, of course, our daughter, who is a senior at UT Tyler, is hoping to be a teacher very soon. We are excited about that. I could not be more blessed with my family.”
Surratt intends on making more improvements to the district in the years to come. One of those plans includes the building of a freshmen center addition to the high school.
“I just think Lindale ISD is a special place and the Lindale community is a special place,” Surratt said. “We tend to have success in every program across the entire gamut. I just think that is a credit to our students, who are super bright and talented, and to our staff, our teachers and administrators. Lindale is a great place to live. I am just fortunate to be here.”
