Media Release from Uvalde CISD

08/04/06

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Uvalde High School, Crossroads Academy, Morales Jr. High, Legacy Elementary, Uvalde Dual Language, Dalton Elementary and Batesville School announced today it will operate the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2026 – 2027 school year.

Schools qualifying to operate CEP serve breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge and eliminate the collection of meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals. This approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals.
For additional information please contact the following person:

Submitted article by UvaldeRadio.net

Top Picture: Screenshot of Uvalde CISD Commencement livestream

Press release from Uvalde CISD and Zurn Elkay

05-26-26

  UVALDE, Texas, May 26, 2026—Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (NYSE: ZWS) and Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) today announced the donation of 36 Elkay Pro Filtration^TM filtered bottle filling stations, 19 Elkay® ezH2O® filtered bottle filling stations, 73 Elkay filtration conversion kits and five years of Elkay filters for each of the donated units, ensuring consistent delivery of cleaner, healthier, safer drinking water to students, faculty, staff and community members.

  In an event at UCISD’s Dalton Elementary School, 600 N. Fourth Street, interim UCISD Superintendent Dr. Juan Hinojosa and Zurn Elkay VP – Public Affairs and Sustainability Angela Hersil celebrated the donation with a class of second-grade students and community leaders, including Texas State Representative Don McLaughlin (R-District 80) and Mayor Hector R. Luevano.

  This summer, the donated units will be installed across five UCISD schools, replacing unfiltered drinking fountains with one filtered bottle filling station per 100 students. Additionally, all faucets in UCISD’s classrooms and cafeterias will be retrofitted to Elkay filtration, using donated conversion kits and filter cartridges.

  “Access to cleaner, safer drinking water is not a luxury—it is a necessity,” Dr. Hinojosa said. “And today, because of Zurn Elkay’s Fountains for Youth initiative, that necessity becomes a guaranteed reality. Zurn Elkay’s Fountains for Youth initiative recognizes something that we in Uvalde know all too well: that the communities with the greatest need are often the ones with the fewest resources to address it. That they chose to invest here—in our schools, in our children—speaks volumes about their values as a company and as a corporate neighbor.”

  “Our Fountains for Youth Program remains a cornerstone of our corporate giving, in which we donate our Elkay filtered bottle filling stations to schools across the country,” said Todd A. Adams, Chairman and CEO of Zurn Elkay Water Solutions. “For kids in Uvalde, across Texas and nationwide, school buildings are more than just places committed to the healthy physical, social and emotional development of children—they’re also a vital source of drinking water. Lead is harmful to all humans, but even more so for developing children, leading to development and learning delays. We’re proud to partner with UCISD in helping them to deliver cleaner, safer drinking water to the children of Uvalde throughout these formative years.”

  Elkay filtered bottle filling stations and drinking fountains are an immediate and cost-effective solution to expensive and laborious infrastructure upgrades. Elkay filters are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 to reduce lead, microplastics and other harmful contaminants, with many models engineered to reduce emerging contaminants like certain PFAS (forever chemicals). Elkay bottle filling stations deliver a dramatic environmental impact as well: in 2025 alone, the use of Elkay bottle filling stations has eliminated the need for more than 20 billion single-use plastic bottles.

  The donation, valued at $370,000, is part of Zurn Elkay’s Fountains for Youth initiative, which addresses the issue of lead in drinking water head-on, by providing filtered bottle filling stations and filters to school districts in areas where lead levels are high and resources are low.

 “This is going to be a huge change for our community and our students,” said Rep. Don McLaughlin. “As the state representative of this area and a citizen of Uvalde, thank you to Zurn Elkay for what you’ve done here, and thank you to Uvalde CISD leadership and faculty for having the foresight to go forward with this partnership.”

 “This generous donation from Zurn Elkay to UCISD ensures easy access to staying hydrated, keeping the children’s health at the forefront,” said Mayor Luevano. “Water is something that we all need, and if we can improve it, all the better for our children as they grow up.”

  “Our business places us at the center of critical community issues related to water cleanliness, safety, conservation and infrastructure, and we embrace the responsibility to make an even deeper impact where it’s so desperately needed,” said Hersil. “Our products provide point-of-use filtration that immediately makes drinking water cleaner and safer, and by making donations like this, we can support communities like Uvalde in fulfilling one of their most fundamental and important goals: providing safer, cleaner drinking water to their children.”

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

May 29, 2026

Editor’s note: The following article is about what a small group of Uvalde High School students accomplished with help from a local amateur astronomer and telescope maker, Michael Robinson.

The idea started several years ago when Uvalde High School science teacher Amy Strecker took local amateur astronomer Michael Robinson up on his offer to help high school students build their own telescope, including grinding the mirror from scratch.

The project began last school year through the Uvalde CISD ACE after-school program, where participating students met once a week.

Robinson donated a 6-inch Russian-made Astrosital glass blank for the project. The students met each week to work on the mirror and take it through the four stages of telescope mirror making: rough grinding, fine grinding, polishing, and figuring.

According to Robinson, in order for the mirror to produce clear images of stars and planets, it would have to be accurate to a millionth of an inch. This level of accuracy is achievable through the use of a Foucault tester, which indirectly measures the mirror’s surface with a beam of light reflecting off the mirror, then cut by a knife edge at the focus.

Despite some setbacks, the mirror was finally finished and sent out to be aluminized at the end of April 2026 to a company called Ostahowski Optics in California which also works with prestigious organizations like NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense — donated the service for the project.

The aluminizing process which cost over $200 donated the service for the project.

Uvalde High School word working teacher Dereck Albrecht worked with Robinson to build the tube, telescope cradle, and mount.

After several weeks of rigorous optical testing, once the mirror had been aluminized, it was installed into the telescope.

On Thursday, May 28th, the telescope was brought out to the high school soccer fields for its “first light” during the senior sunset event. Students and parents were able to view the craters of the Moon.

Each of the participating students who worked on the mirror signed it, and several also signed the back of the telescope.

The telescope will remain the property of Uvalde CISD and will be used by future students to observe astronomical objects for many years to come.

by Michael Robinson| The Uvalde Hesperian

Pictures by Robinson

04-21-26

List of names from Uvalde CISD’s Facebook Page

The Top 10 academic students of the Class of 2026 were presented at Monday’s April 20th Uvalde CISD school board meeting.

Each of the Top 10 ranked students who were present at Monday night’s school board meeting were called up in order to receive a certificate.

02-08-26

Press Release from Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees: Received from Uvalde CISD Trustee Jesse Rizo

Dear Uvalde CISD Parents and Staff,

We understand that the news of Superintendent Ashley Chohlis’s sudden resignation may raise questions and concerns among our community. Please rest assured that the Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees remains united and focused on maintaining stability across our district during this transition.

Our unwavering commitment to the students, staff, and families of Uvalde CISD remains unchanged. We are dedicated to doing everything necessary to ensure that our schools continue to operate smoothly and that our community remains supported. The Board will be meeting with our counsel to explore options and establish a clear pathway forward.

We acknowledge that this may feel like another jolt of instability, but we are determined to ensure that UCISD continues to rise above these challenges. Our commitment to you is to ensure a leadership transition rooted in transparency, mutual respect, and a renewed focus on the classroom. Our priority is to cultivate a culture of collaboration where parents, teachers, and taxpayers feel heard and valued.

Uvalde CISD is strong because of the dedicated individuals who serve it every day, and we will move forward together with transparency, care, and purpose. We are committed to keeping you informed and engaged throughout this process. Updates will be posted regularly on our website and social media to maintain open communication with all stakeholders.

Thank you for your continued dedication and support.

Respectfully,

UCISD Board of Trustees

by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

02-06-26

An internal email from Uvalde CISD Chief of Communications and Human Capital Officer Anne Marie Espinoza which was sent to the District’s teachers and staff regarding the news of Superintendent Ashley Chohlis’ planned departure was leaked appearing on various Facebook pages earlier today.

In the email sent to the District’s Teachers and Staff,  Chohlis says, “I am writing to formally announce my resignation as Superintendent of Uvalde CISD effective April 7, 2026.

Upon learning the news about Chohlis’ resignation, the Uvalde Hesperian sent an email to Espinoza asking the following question

Shortly before noon today, the Uvalde Hesperian received the following Uvalde CISD press release from Espinoza along with a statement saying that parents had also been notified.

Superintendent Ashley Chohlis Announces Resignation

For Immediate Release

Uvalde, TX – Superintendent Ashley Chohlis has announced her resignation from Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD), effective April 7, 2026. After careful consideration, Superintendent Chohlis has decided to pursue new professional opportunities, marking the end of her tenure with UCISD.

During her time as Superintendent, Ashley Chohlis has been instrumental in leading the district toward significant achievements. Under her leadership, UCISD has seen a remarkable improvement in its financial stability, with the district’s fund balance now healthier. Academically, the district has progressed with the introduction of high-quality instructional materials and robust professional development programs for educators. The focus on data-driven instruction has set the trajectory to ensure that the academic needs of all learners are met effectively.

Superintendent Chohlis has also fostered strong community relations, strengthening partnerships that have expanded resources, including food distributions and a no-cost clinic. These initiatives have strengthened the bond between the district and the families it serves. Furthermore, improvements in data collection, analysis, reporting, and action planning have fostered an environment for student learning and growth.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the students, staff, and community of Uvalde,” said Chohlis. “None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the unwavering support and partnership of the brave individuals who bought into the mission for whom I am tremendously thankful. As I prepare to transition from this role, I remain hopeful for the district’s bright future and continued success.”

The district will initiate a search for a new Superintendent to continue the trajectory of excellence established under Ms. Chohlis’ leadership.

Respectfully,

Anne Marie Espinoza

Chief of Communications and Human Capital Officer