Mine DID execute commands in order. Here's my version of what I was using it for:
START cmd.exe /k "U: & cd U:\Design_stuff\new_lcso_website_2017 & python -m http.server"
I needed to
If those commands are out of order, it would not display the correct files. I initially forgot to change to U:
and, running the batch file on my Desktop, it created a web page in my browser at http://localhost:8000 showing me the contents of my Desktop instead of the folder I wanted.