"No board member should ever become the story": SCUCISD trustees vote 6-1 to restrict Matthew Short

The SCUCISD board approved a motion to restrict Trustee Dr. Matthew Short's access to district property, an action one trustee described as "the most formal action" available under state law.

In a 6-1 vote, the board approved a motion that restricts Short from accessing district facilities or property outside of properly posted board meetings. The motion also bars spending district funds for Short to "formally represent" the district or board outside of his statutory duties. The restrictions stay in place "until further action by the board".

The board president tied the vote to what she called a "major distraction" and "numerous concerns being expressed by our community" related to Short's separate employment dispute with Judson ISD. That dispute has been covered by KSAT Investigates and others. (See: KSAT Investigates; Yahoo/Express-News.)

"I asked Mr. Short to resign"

The board president said she and Trustee Bill Pasel met with Short on Feb. 3 to address what she termed "the negative attention swirling around his employment dispute with Judson ISD" and concerns it could spill into SCUCISD. "While his dispute was separate from SCUC, it was creating a major distraction to the work we do," she said.

She also said the board worried it would affect public confidence: "The public would question our judgment and ultimately could affect the public trust we hold".

The board president said that in a prior meeting she had asked Short to resign: "I asked Mr. Short to resign and I let him know this was in the district's best interest". She said Short refused. "On February 5, Mr. Short emailed me letting me know he intended to continue serving and would not be stepping down".

Connection to bond communication

The board president connected the issue to the district's agenda, including the bond election the board called at its Feb. 12 meeting. "Not even an hour after we adjourned, there was a media story about Mr. Short in the news," she said. "Not a story about the bond we had just called, but a story about a trustee".

"No board member should ever become the story at SCUC ISD," she added.

The motion and what it does

The motion includes two separate restrictions:

• "Restrict trustee Dr. Matthew Short from accessing any district facilities or property other than duly called board meetings posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act".
• "No district funds of any kind be expended" for purposes of formally representing the district or board outside his statutory duties, with the restriction remaining in effect "until further action by the board".

One trustee framed it as the strongest formal step available short of removal: "Under state law, this is the most formal action this board is authorized to take in response to the conduct of one of its members".

The vote: "Motion passes six one".