Huckabee
Huckabee-designed Brenda Norwood Elementary School in Mansfield.
The Uvalde school district on Tuesday announced that it had secured signature support from donors to build a new school to replace Robb Elementary, site of a mass shooting in May that killed 19 children and two teachers.
The Butt family and H-E-B grocery stores have pledged a combined $10 million in funding, officials announced. In addition, Huckabee, a Fort Worth-based architectural firm, and Joeris General Contractors, which will assist in the design and construction of the school, will waive the fees for their architectural work and contracting services.
“Public schools are the foundation of a community,” says Huckabee CEO Chris Huckabee in a statement. “Our team is honored to partner with Joeris construction, the Butt family, H-E-B, and so many others to design a new facility that will honor Uvalde and serve its future generations.”
The location and design of the new campus and timeline for the project have not been determined. The school district will work in tandem with the Uvalde community, donors, and other stakeholders to solicit ideas and gather feedback for the project.
The direction for the new campus includes significantly enhancing educational offerings, safety and security measures, and infrastructure to support the availability of new technology. No plans have been made on which grade levels the new elementary campus will service when it becomes operational.
City leaders announced last week that Robb Elementary would be demolished in the wake of the May 24 tragedy in which a gunman killed 21 and seriously wounded 17 others. Built in the 1960s, Robb Elementary School served nearly 550 second-, third- and fourth-graders.
“We will never forget those who were senselessly taken from us on that tragic day, and we want to honor their legacy as we work to build our future,” says Hal Harrell, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District superintendent. “Along with the entire Uvalde community, we are immensely grateful for the extreme generosity from our amazing donors, and we look forward to collaborating on this exciting new campus. Thank you to everyone for the unyielding support our community continues to receive from across Texas, the nation, and world.”
Contributions to support this effort can be made by donating to the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, a nonprofit charitable trust set up to help fund the new elementary campus. Donations can be made by visiting UvaldeCISDMovingForward.org. Details for alternative ways to give to the foundation also are available on the website.
“Our children are this country’s future, and our schools should be a safe place where children want to be, a place where they can thrive and envision new possibilities,” says Charles Butt, H-E-B’s chairman. “I join with my family and H-E-B in working to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward from this tragic event.”
Says Gary Joeris, CEO of San Antonio-based Joeris: “At Joeris, our mission is to transform people and places. We are honored and humbled to be a part of this important effort to create a safe place where children can learn and grow and that gives this community hope for a brighter future.”