Trustees in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District unanimously accepted the resignation of twice-censured board member Matthew Short and approved plans to appoint a replacement.
During a meeting on Thursday night, Board President Letticia Sever revealed that Short had submitted his resignation a week earlier, on August 27.
Trustees were prepared to consider initiating “action to remove him from office,” according to the meeting agenda.
“We were going to act,” said Sever Thursday night.
Short, a former SCUC ISD student and teacher whose mother is an administrator in the district, has faced controversy since he was first elected to the board in November 2025.
He was a teacher in Judson ISD at the time and ran for the SCUC ISD board position unopposed.
Short was accused of leaving several of his Salinas Elementary School students unattended near the end of the Judson ISD school day in order to attend his swearing-in as an SCUC ISD trustee.
Judson ISD placed Short on leave in November, and in January voted to begin the process of terminating his teaching contract. Short then resigned from Judson ISD.
In February, SCUC ISD trustees voted to restrict Short’s access to district funds and property except to attend board meetings. Sever said she and another trustee had asked Short to resign his board position, but he declined.
SCUC ISD trustees censured Short again in May after he sent cease-and-desist letters to constituents who criticized him using the district’s address.
Short then sued SCUC ISD, Sever, and Superintendent Paige Meloni, challenging the restrictions placed on him. In particular, he questioned limits on him attending graduation and accessing district email, which the district argued he had no legal entitlement to as a board member.
Chris Schultz, the district’s legal counsel, told trustees Thursday night that during a hearing in the case last week, Short admitted he created a fake email and sent it to fellow board members.
In the email, Short pretended to be a constituent complaining about an SCUC ISD principal who had recommended Short’s non-renewal when Short was a teacher in the district from 2023-2025.
Schultz called it “an egregious violation by a board member.”
He added that the judge immediately dismissed Short’s request for a temporary restraining order in the case.
After voting to accept Short’s resignation, trustees also unanimously approved appointing a replacement to fill the vacant board seat “as soon as possible.”
Information about the appointment process was posted to the district’s website on Friday. Applications will be accepted from September 4-14.
Trustees will meet on September 15 to review applications and decide which candidates to interview, with a final selection set for as early as September 21.
Short’s Questionable Work History
Short received a permanent reprimand on his Texas teaching certificate on July 31, 2026. He has been certified to teach since 2013.
A parent warned SCUC ISD board members months ago about Short’s questionable work history.
“Short had seven prior teaching jobs in ten years when he applied to teach here,” Angela Liberatore told trustees during a March 26 school board meeting. “Of those seven prior teaching jobs, he was forced from at least five.”
She noted that Short was later also placed on administrative leave from his teaching job at Cibolo Valley Elementary, then decided to run for SCUC ISD school board.
Liberatore also noted that Short had fabricated information in his teaching resume and application, including a fake reference named Brandon Sims.
“Did our administrator speak to Brandon Sims? No. He does not exist … our children aren’t important enough for admin to call references,” she said.
“Short as a board trustee symbolizes SCUC’s improper vetting, passing the trash, lack of transparency, and disregard for safety,” added Liberatore. “Do the right thing. Purge inept administrators from your district. Deliver accountability to everyone whose failure to properly vet staff resulted in a student being abused.”
Liberatore was referring to David Rios, who was charged in 2024 with sexually assaulting a female student in 2021 while he was a teacher at Clemens High School in SCUC ISD. Rios was placed on administrative leave when the allegations arose, then allowed to resign in April 2022.
SCUC ISD families can direct questions to their elected school board trustees.
