Recommended Elementary School Campus Layout
Foundation holds first public meeting reporting on the committee’s study and considerations leading to the new Elementary school design and location to be completed in 2024
About 40 people gathered at the Herby Ham Activity Center Monday night to hear a report presented by Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation officials and project team members whose collective purpose is to determine what location and design would best serve the students, parents and communities’ needs and interests best and then present those findings and recommendations for the Uvalde CISD School Board for consideration and approval. Before the start of the meeting those in attendance were encouraged to view several posters featuring elementary school layouts the committee had considered as part of their work to arrive at a final recommendation.
So far the project team working on behalf of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation has met 6 times starting with the first meeting on September 21st.
School officials including the new Uvalde CISD Interim Superintendent Gary Patterson, Superintendent Emeritus Hal Harrell, several Uvalde CISD school board members as well a mix of educators, parents and community members were in attendance at Monday night’s meeting,
According to Tim Miller, the Executive Director of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, the foundation and project team want to get students and educators back into a permanent campus as quickly as possible.
Miller stated the new elementary school would be built with donated monies and not include holding a bond election. Fundraising will consist of events planned for Dallas, San Antonio, Austin as well as virtual fundraising events for all Texas donors in addition to crowdfunding through a website. The HEB Foundation is a major donor of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation which pledged $10 million dollars toward the construction of the new elementary school for Uvalde.
Committee members lead by business owner and Justice of the Peace Lalo Diaz presented their work including the three different elementary campus locations considered as well as the tour of several existing schools designed by Huckabee architectural firm who was chosen design the new Uvalde Elementary School for Uvalde to serve as a new elementary school to succeed Robb Elementary School. According to Miller, the Huckabee architectural firm has waived their fee for their work on the project.
“We believe the community is essential to our success,” a presenter said.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of the final recommendations to be delivered to the Uvalde CISD school board slated for Wednesday, November 16th.
The location recommended for the new school is a field located adjacent to Dalton Elementary School. Additionally, the recommended layout for the school was also shown as part of a PowerPoint presentation.
On the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation’s website, it lists these key components to be included in the new elementary school:
- Grades two, three, and four
- 12 classrooms per grade level • 120,000 square feet
- 800 student capacity
- Two stories
- Air conditioned gymnasium
- Makerspace and STEM Labs
- Science, Music and Art Classrooms
- Multiple Flex Areas for Instructional Support
- A variety of play and recreational areas
According to Foundation spokespersons, the conversations about the school location and design will continue following the planning team’s consensus on the new elementary school’s recommendation of location and design layout.
Intentionality was a word several foundation team members mentioned as an agreed upon principal in making decisions about the layout and purpose for the new school.
The following statement about the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation on it’s website:
The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation serving the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District community.
The nonprofit was created in the wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary School, which took 21 innocent lives on May 24, 2022. Funding collected through the foundation will support the construction of a new elementary school campus in the Uvalde CISD, ensuring students and staff will not have to return to the site of the tragedy, and ultimately supporting the District’s ongoing needs as it moves forward.
