By Edmond Ortiz
Matthew Short has resigned as a Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District trustee, nine months after his election to the board.
Short’s brief tenure as a school board member was marred by controversy, as fellow trustees twice voted to censure him, and Short sued the school district and its top two leaders.
But more recent revelations about Short spurred SCUCISD officials to contemplate removing the beleaguered board member from public office.
What you should know
The SCUCISD board unanimously voted in a special Sept. 3 meeting to accept a resignation letter from Short, a Steele High School graduate and a former SCUCISD teacher. He ran unopposed for the Place 4 board seat in last November’s district election.
In his lawsuit against SCUCISD, Superintendent Paige Meloni and board President Letricia Sever, Short alleged that the district denied his request for a record of his time as a board member.
Short also claimed that the restrictions placed on him as a result of his being censured by the full board last February was not rightly authorized by the trustees, who were troubled by mounting reports of his then-ongoing dispute with his employer, Judson Independent School District.
Additionally, Short alleged the agenda item language in the February board meeting where trustees first rebuked him was inadequate and did not justify the reprimand.
According to Chris Schulz, SCUCISD’s attorney, a court granted the district’s request to dismiss Meloni and Sever from Short’s efforts at litigation.
Short, Meloni and Sever testified in a late August court hearing on Short’s lawsuit. It is there where Short revealed that immediately after his board election, he emailed his fellow trustees about another SCUCISD resident, who had allegedly emailed him about three pending educator misconduct complaints.
According to Schulz, Short was unable to produce contact information or the original email that he said he had received from his informant.
Schulz added that, as Short confirmed, one of the educators targeted for a misconduct complaint was a school principal who had recommended against renewing Short’s employment contract when worked for SCUCISD.
Schulz said Short, when pressed by the hearing’s presiding judge, admitted he had created the persona of the district resident alerting the board of the supposed misconduct complaints.
“What we have is a school board member admitting to creating an email supposedly from a member of the public who, in my estimation, was attempting to get back at the principal who proposed his non-renewal from his time as an employee with this district,” Schulz said.
After Short’s admission, the judge dismissed his request for a temporary restraining order against SCUCISD.
Separately, local station KSAT-TV aired a report Sept. 2 that, according to its own investigation into Short’s scrutinized history as an educator, he had falsified a number of teaching job applications, and still managed to land jobs elsewhere in Texas.
Outside of the KSAT report, Schulz called Short’s actions “an egregious violation” of public trust.
“This board does find (Short’s) behavior as absolutely reprehensible and a huge breach of trust,” Sever said.
Sever said she and fellow trustees already viewed Short’s actions – even before his recent court hearing admission – as possible justification for further disciplinary measures, including potentially removing him from the school board.
But Short relented, submitting a resignation letter Aug. 27. However, he did not publicly apologize for his actions.
“I take this step because of the sustained actions taken against me during my service and the toll that they have taken. My health and my family come first,” Short wrote.
“It has been an honor to serve the students, families and employees of the district. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served Place 4, and for the teachers and campus staff whose work I was privileged to see up close. I wish the board and the district well.”
Trustee Amy Thomas called the recent revelations about Short “troubling,” and that neither she nor fellow board members took lightly his actions or how they sought to discipline him.
“I am thankful that Dr. Short has ultimately chosen to resign. I believe his resignation is in the best interest of our students, our employees, this board and this community,” Thomas said.
Thomas also said, with some emotion in her voice, that Short’s resignation hopefully will be a positive turning point for SCUCISD and redirect the district’s full attention to its students and educators.
“This entire episode has been unfortunate and damaging,” she added.
What comes next
Now through Sept. 14, SCUCISD is accepting applications from eligible district residents interested in replacing Short.
Meloni said the board can call a meeting or two to interview applicants who meet the district’s criteria, and then trustees may discuss what they hear before deciding to appoint Short’s replacement.
That replacement trustee will then run for the Place 4 seat in the district’s November 2027 board election, where Places 1, 2 and 3 will also be on the ballot. The Place 4 winner can then complete the remainder of Short’s original term, which ends in 2029.
Thomas and other trustees said they hope to appoint a new Place 4 board member as soon as possible.
“We have no time to waste,” board member Belinda Evans said.
