Uvalde is turning a new page with the construction of a new elementary school in the community, a project that has been largely fueled by public support and donations in the wake of the 2022 Robb Elementary School tragedy. As reported by KENS 5, the construction for this $51 million facility officially began on March 4, with a groundbreaking event taking place last October.
The new, yet-to-be-named school will boast heightened security measures, to directly respond to concerns from the Uvalde community in the wake of last year's events. Security features are set to include nine-foot-tall gates, keyless entry points, and an access road designed to quickly help first responders reach the school. According to KSAT, the school is strategically located next to Dalton Elementary on Fourth Street and Leona and is expected to be ready by next year for the 2025-2026 school year.
Helping to make the project possible, Texas businessman John Nau III has contributed a significant $1 million donation, with earlier donations, including a $10 million kickstart from H-E-B and the Butt family. Despite this generous support, there's still a shortfall with the Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation citing it has raised approximately 68% of the necessary funds, leaving about $20 million needed to fully realize the new building. “While we are still needing donations to complete the school, we needed to start the construction of the school this fall so that it can be ready for the 25-26 school year,” Tim Miller, executive director of Uvalde Moving Forward, told KSAT.
Not long after the Robb Elementary shooting, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin expressed the town's sentiment, declaring that it would be impossible to ask children and teachers to return to the site of such an immense loss. The decision to construct a new school is part of healing and provides tangible proof of the community and its supporters' commitment to move forward while honoring the memory of the 19 students and two teachers whose lives were so tragically taken. "We could never ask a child to go back or a teacher to go back into that school ever," McLaughlin said in a previous story quoted by KSAT.
Responsibility for leading the planning and fundraising of the new school falls to the Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation, which stands as the foundational bedrock in an ongoing effort to provide a fresh start for Uvalde's children. The foundation, alongside the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee, has been diligently working to ensure that the echoes of the past do not overshadow the hopes of the future, with the expectation that construction will carry on through to September 2025, as confirmed by the foundation to KENS 5.
