UVALDE, Texas – It doesn’t quite have the $60 million it needs yet, but it hopes to have it by next month.
The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, which is fundraising to build a new school to replace Robb Elementary — the site of the 2022 mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers — is close to having all the resources needed to bring the project to life.
Tim Miller, executive director of the foundation, said they are a few million dollars short.
“As of the last month...cash on hand [we have] about $53.4 million,” said Miller.
Miller said the foundation is working with donors and “pursuing a second round of new markets and financing” to close the gap.
Once it’s built, Legacy Elementary School will include 36 classrooms, an academic wing, a library, a dining hall, a gymnasium, mental health resources, and a tribute to the 21 shooting victims.
Miller also said the building will have serious safety features.
“Once you come into the entry to get checked in, you’ll have to show identification. And once you get cleared, you can move into the general part of the building. And, if you need to get into the academic part of the building, you’d have to have another set of clearance for that,” said Miller.
The foundation hopes the school will be ready to receive students by Fall 2025.
Miller told KSAT that he’s confident the foundation will meet its $60 million fundraising goal. He hopes to secure all of the funds by late January 2025.
If there’s any money left over after the project is completed, the excess cash will go towards extra features in the new building or to another school within Uvalde CISD.