By Edmond Ortiz
For a second time in less than three months, the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District board finds itself reprimanding one of its own members.
What is happening
The SCUCISD board in a May 7 called meeting voted 5-1 to censure Matthew Short. Board President Leticia Sever said Short used certified mail to send cease-and-desist letters to two community members, and used the school district’s central office in Schertz as his return address.
According to Sever, the content in the letters did not constitute district business, but rather a personal matter because Short requested the unnamed residents to halt public criticism of him.
However, Sever said because Short used the address of district facility to disburse the personal letters, the action gives the appearance of official district business.
Sever also said Short threatened litigation against the two recipients of his letters if they did not stop criticizing him. Short was the lone trustee to vote on the disciplinary action.
“On the surface, this may seem like a mere breaking of board operating procedures. However, I believe this to be a bit more egregious,” Sever said. She added that Short’s action may have violated a portion of the state’s open meetings act that prevents a governmental body from prohibiting public criticism of that same organization.
A perspective on Short
The last few months have been a challenging time for Short, a Steele High School graduate and a former SCUCISD educator who was reprimanded in a February 2026 board meeting – three months after his election to a four-year school board term.
SCUCISD trustees voted in February to restrict Short’s access to district facilities save for school board meetings in response to media reports about his then-ongoing dispute with his employer, Judson Independent School District.
The Judson ISD board unanimously voted Jan. 22 to accept their superintendent’s recommendation to terminate Short’s contract as a Salinas Elementary School teacher after he allegedly left a group of students unattended outdoors one afternoon last November.
According to a police report of the Salinas incident, Short had ushered a group of students outside after the ringing of the day’s final bell and told them to stay put while he moved his car to a spot where he would not be blocked by traffic involving parents picking up their children. However, students and school staff said Short did not return.
Short insisted the students were never in danger, and that he had a prior engagement happening immediately after the end of his teaching day – receiving the oath of office at his first SCUCISD board meeting.
Not long after that, Judson ISD officials put Short on leave for what they called “good cause”; JISD police said Short’s actions did not require criminal charges.
SCUCISD officials said Short’s dispute with JISD had become a public distraction from SCUCISD board business.
Sever back in February said some community members demanded Short’s removal from the SCUCISD board, but state law prohibits a public school board from ousting one of its members, but a reprimand was permissible.
Short submitted his resignation from Judson ISD, which JISD officials formally accepted April 21. Resigning meant Short waived his right to appeal his firing. He has offered no comment in reaction to his being reprimanded again by fellow SCUCISD trustees.
Matthew Short, a Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District trustee, is again being reprimanded by fellow board members. (Photo courtesy of SCUCISD)
