In a city that already places an extraordinary value on high school alma maters, one of San Antonio’s most exclusive alumni clubs could soon get a status bump.
A bill filed by state Rep. Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio) seeks custom license plates for Central Catholic High School — an elite, private, all-boys school that’s been operating in San Antonio since 1852.
Notable alumni are peppered throughout the city’s local political scene, including City Manager Erik Walsh, City Attorney Andy Segovia and former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros.
“Central Catholic has been a part of the San Antonio fabric for many, many years … and we’ve been very blessed and fortunate that a lot of those graduates have gone to do some great things in the community,” said Cortez, who graduated in the class of 1996, along with the school’s current president Jason Longoria.
“I felt that given the strong alumni presence and the strong network throughout the state, I wanted to give them that distinction,” Cortez said.
While Texas has plenty of custom university plates for drivers to choose from, vanity plates are far less common for a high school.
A search on MyPlates.com indicates they currently only exist for Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas — a public school known for the wealthy enclave it serves, as well as its football prowess.
The fees are paid by the plate holder, costing around $90 per year.
Longoria said he saw Carroll High School’s plates and knew they’d be a hit with his own school’s alumni and their families.
“We’re a very prideful bunch of people,” said Longoria, who shared a copy of a proposed design for the plates. “… Everybody knows what type of school Central Catholic is and what type of education you get… and people just want to showcase that this is who we are.”
Custom plates have to be approved through the legislative process in Texas, Cortez said, which can be onerous even when there’s no opposition.
He got the House to sign off on his Central Catholic plates in 2023, but the proposal didn’t make it over to the Senate side in time for lawmakers to sign off before the end of the session, he said.
With three alumni currently serving at the state capitol — Cortez, plus state Sens. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) and Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) — he said he’s optimistic it will happen this session, which kicked off last week.
“We’re the only high school in the entire state of Texas that has multiple graduates serving in the Texas Legislature,” Cortez said. “I’m hopeful we can get it over the finish line this time.”
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