UVALDE, Texas – The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District will be looking for a new leader by the end of the current academic year.
In a letter to parents Friday morning, Superintendent Ashley Chohlis announced her resignation. KSAT Investigates obtained a copy of Chohlis’ letter. Her departure will go into effect on April 7, 2026, according to the letter.
In her Uvalde CISD announcement, Chohlis said she will be pursuing “new opportunities” outside of the district.
“During my tenure, I have been continually inspired by the dedication and passion of our educators, the curiosity and brilliance of our students, and the unwavering support of the families and school community members who help make Uvalde CISD an exceptional place,” Chohlis said in the letter, in part. “I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to work alongside such remarkable individuals.”
According to a Friday news release obtained by KSAT Investigates, Chohlis will become the chief of staff at Pflugerville ISD, an Austin-area school district.
“Ashley Chohlis brings exceptional leadership experience, deep operational knowledge, and a strong commitment to people and purpose,” Pflugerville ISD Superintendent Dr. Quintin Shepherd said in the news release. “Her collaborative leadership style and focus on student-centered outcomes will be a tremendous asset as we continue advancing Pflugerville ISD’s strategic priorities.”
“Strong leadership empowers educators, supports families, and transforms the student experience,” Chohlis said in the Pflugerville ISD news release. “I am honored to join Pflugerville ISD and look forward to supporting the district’s strategic goals while working alongside staff, families, and community partners to advance student success.”
Under Chohlis’ watch in Uvalde, the district began releasing thousands of pages of records related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in August 2025. Nearly one month earlier, the state’s Fourth Court of Appeals ruled in favor of KSAT 12 News and other news outlets in a lawsuit.
However, in its records rollout, KSAT Investigates learned that the district did not release all of them related to the May 24, 2022, shooting.
Among those missing records are emails about classroom safety and a payout to the district’s police chief, according to documents viewed by CNN.
The district later released the remainder of its Robb-related records toward the end of August, early September and the middle of December 2025.
On Sept. 13, 2025, district officials said they detected ransomware in its servers that initially prompted the closing of the district and its schools from Sept. 15-18.
The ransomware detected by the district affected several essential online systems, including phones, thermostats, camera monitoring and visitor management systems, among critical services, the district said.
However, in a Sept. 17 Facebook post, Uvalde school district officials said they planned to instead resume classes on Sept. 22.
Despite conflict of interest concerns, the school board decided during a Sept. 15 meeting to continue to use legal services from a law firm that also represented former Uvalde CISD officer Adrian Gonzales and current Uvalde CISD School Board Vice President JJ Suarez in a separate federal lawsuit related to the shooting filed by several families of the victims.
The school board hired Houston-area law firm Thompson & Horton to represent the district while having Walsh Gallegos, a firm which has offices in San Antonio, on retainer.
Unspecified communication conduct by Chohlis was also discussed during the board meeting. The board did not take any action on Chohlis’ conduct.
In October 2025, the district also opened the brand-new Legacy Elementary School, the campus that now serves as the replacement for Robb Elementary School.
Chohlis joined Uvalde CISD in November 2023 as the district’s first full-time superintendent since the shooting.
Hal Harrell retired from the district superintendent role in October 2022. The school board named Gary Patterson as its interim superintendent until the district selected Chohlis in a full-time role 13 months later.
Chohlis’ education career is quite familiar to San Antonio and the South Central Texas area. She arrived in Uvalde after beginning her tenure as Poth ISD’s superintendent in May 2022.
Chohlis, an East Central High School alumna, previously served as East Central ISD’s executive director of student and community engagement.
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