New Uvalde elementary school approved, construction planning begins

UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) -- Plans for a new elementary school to replace Robb Elementary in Uvalde were approved at a school board meeting earlier this week.

On Monday, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District approved the full schematic renderings for the new elementary school as recommended by the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee.

The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation will now move to the initial phases of construction through the creation of construction documents for the new elementary school.

Groundbreaking is anticipated for mid to late summer, according to the foundation.

The new campus is expected to accommodate 800 students, which is nearly twice as big as Robb Elementary.

It’ll also have safety measures including fencing around the playfields, keyless entry points and privacy gates that are nine feet tall, and a secure waiting space at the front of the campus for visitors, as well as a new road to help first responders access the school, according to Uvalde CISD officials.

Plans also include a tribute to the 21 victims who were killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary last May.

“The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is honored to begin the next phase of our work to build a new elementary school in the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District," said Tim Miller, executive director of the Uvalde CISD
Moving Forward Foundation. "With this evening’s approval of the schematic design by the UCISD school board, we now move to the initial phases of the construction phase through the creation of construction documents."

The foundation is still raising money for construction of the new school. So far, nearly 70% of the $60 million goal has been raised. Donations are accepted online.