Mathew appointed Place 7 trustee

During Monday morning’s Special Meeting, Coppell ISD Board of Trustees appointed Jobby Mathew to the board in Place 7.

Mathew will be sworn in as trustee on Monday prior to the regular Board meeting at 6 p.m. 

After Tracy Fisher’s resignation from Place 7, the Board had three options to fill the vacant position. It could leave the spot vacant until the next election (May 6, 2023), appoint a new candidate for the spot or hold a special election immediately. The Board opted to appoint a new candidate.

Applications for selecting a potential candidate were available to the community from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Fourteen applications were reviewed. The Board also asked Coppell residents for input on the qualities they wanted to see in the next Board member, which was then used as a rubric to select the new member. According to CISD Board President David Caviness, 29 emails were received as input.

“[The community] wanted to see somebody that currently has or has had kids in the district,” Caviness said. “They also wanted to see someone that has been engaged with district committees, has a passion for public education and could contribute to the overall mission and goals of the district.”

Five trustees attended yesterday’s meeting, all of whom approved Mathew for Place 7. After the approval, a motion was made by trustee Nichole Bently and seconded by board vice president Anthony Hill to keep Place 7 vacant. Trustees Manish Sethi, Leigh Walker and Caviness supported a motion to appoint Mathew. This motion was passed.

“I had been thinking about running because I knew Place 7 was going to be open,” Mathew said. “The application process came up, and I felt that I should start making an impact now if that’s the way the Board chose to go.”

For the past five years, Mathew has acted as the President of the CISD Education Foundation. Mathew has been involved in the CISD Community Based Accountability System Advisory Committee, the 2023 CISD Bond Committee and the CISD Student Health Advisory Council.

“What really rose to the top in our discussion was his involvement,” Caviness said. “Not only [does he volunteer] at his kids’ campus at the PTO and local level, he serves on many district-wide committees. He’s just got a real deep working knowledge of not only the district functions but the issues that we have currently going on.”

Mathew becomes the first CISD trustee to live in Irving. His wife, Santhi Mathew, is an assistant principal at Rockbrook Elementary in Lewisville ISD and his two children attend Canyon Ranch Elementary.

“I’ve really gotten to know the district, its teachers and its students by my work in the Coppell Education Foundation,” Mathew said. “Being able to listen to teachers and understand their needs has helped me get to know the district, its values and where it wants to go. I think I can now come in and be a real asset to the district from this position.”

Mathew will hold Place 7 until the May 6, 2023 election, which will determine who holds the place for the following year. Place 7 will be on the May 4, 2024 ballot for the full three-year term.

“There’s going to be an adjustment period, but I think Jobby is going to do a fine job,” Caviness said. “We’ve now got seven people, and I think we’re going to be in a better position to keep the ball moving forward on what the needs of the district are.”

More information to come on Mathew in an upcoming story on coppellstudentmedia.com.

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