Feeling a bit like fall as school returns in Palatine

The calendar may say we're in the dog days of summer, but you couldn't blame students, parents and faculty in Palatine Township Elementary School District 15 if they felt a bit like fall was in the air Wednesday.

The district's more than 12,000 students returned to classes Wednesday, bidding farewell to summer vacation and officially kicking off the 2019-20 school year.

District 15 educates students from all or parts of Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, South Barrington, Arlington Heights and Schaumburg at 15 elementary schools, four junior high schools, an early childhood center and alternative public day school.

Among the big changes for the district this year is in its leadership. Laurie Heinz took over as superintendent July 1, replacing top administrator Scott Thompson, who retired after eight years at the helm.

The district also took on about $5 million in building projects over the summer, including safety upgrades to the entrances at Virginia Lake, Carl Sandburg, Plum Grove, Kimball Hill and Hunting Ridge schools.