SAN ANTONIO — Last year, Ashley Chohlis took over as superintendent at Uvalde CISD. Chohlis wants the Uvalde community to know that she’s there to serve.

“I believe firmly that education is the great equalizer,” Chohlis said. 

What You Need To Know

  • Ashley Chohlis, a lifelong educator, took over as Uvalde CISD superintendent last year

  • She's navigating the trauma created by the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School 

  • One of her chief goals is improving school attendance 

  • Uvalde CISD has partnered with  Community Health Development, Inc. to provide students with free health care 

Chohlis is a lifelong educator. 

“I’ve been an educator for 29 years,” she said. “I started as a coach and a teacher. So I’ve done just about everything in public education.”

In her inaugural academic year at UCISD, she is dedicated to maximizing her impact on students.

The wife and mother says equity is her core value. Now, as the Uvalde CISD superintendent, Chohlis faces challenges similar to other districts.

“Make sure that they have the best possible education so that where they come from doesn’t determine where they end up,” Chohlis said.

But leading this district, where the pain of what happened at Robb Elementary is still evident, comes with unique challenges. Students, staff and parents are still healing. It's a process Chohlis knows well.

She was hired in Uvalde last November, nearly seven years after another Texas tragedy.

“My homestead is about two miles away from the church in Sutherland Springs,” Chohlis said. “And my family was directly impacted by that tragedy.” 

In 2017, a gunman opened fire inside First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, killing 26 people, including a mother and her unborn child. More than 20 others were injured.

Chohlis, who lived and worked near Sutherland Springs after the tragedy, became highly engaged in school safety and security, which she now brings to Uvalde.

“When the tragedy here happened, of course, when you’ve lived through something similar, your heart just goes out to the community,” Chohlis said. “You want to help. You want to be there for people. You want to do whatever you can.” 

For Chohlis, that means holding monthly meetings with the district’s safety and security committee. 

“We’ve got our safety audit coming up,” Chohlis said. “We’ve got people coming in from outside the district to work on that. We’ve got new software that we’re using that we’re piloting for the state.”

Beyond safety, she hopes to increase attendance across the district. 

“When we only have 85% of our kids coming to school,” Chohlis said. “Fifteen percent of our kids are not being educated. And that’s a huge problem for me.”

Uvalde CISD has collaborated with Community Health Development, Inc. to establish a school-based health center, prioritizing student success by providing students with free health care access.

“Many people don’t realize that not having access to health care can be a huge barrier to public education as well,” Chohlis said.

After all the finger pointing and investigations into what happened at Robb Elementary shooting, Chohlis understands rebuilding trust will be a process. She says she’s open to critics and conversations that will help her best serve this community.

“I’m here with the best of intentions,” Chohlis said. “I try to earn trust with my actions and not my words. And so hopefully they see what I’m doing are things that matter.”