UPDATE: Fmr. Worcester Assist. Supt. Receives Five Year Sentence After Pleading Guilty to Felony Theft
Image of Denise Shorts previously displayed on Worcester County Public Schools website
SNOW HILL, Md. – A former Worcester County Public Schools assistant superintendent has received a five-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to one count of felony theft on Wednesday.
According to court documents obtained by WMDT, 61-year-old Denise Shorts pled guilty to one count of felony theft scheme greater than $100,000 on Sept. 23. Judge James S. Sarbanes sentenced Shorts to 10 years in prison, suspending all but five years. Following her release from prison, Shorts will serve three years of supervised probation.
“Our office remains committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses a position of public trust” said Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard, III, adding, “including individuals who enrich themselves for personal gain at the expense of the community members they are entrusted to serve.”
Two other misdemeanor charges previously filed against Shorts, embezzlement and misconduct in office, were dropped as part of a plea agreement. She was remanded into custody to start her sentence immediately after Wednesday’s proceedings concluded.
In a release from Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS), the Board of Education said they acknowledged today’s plea agreement and added that they have received full restitution in the amount of $118,741.89; the full amount Shorts stole from the district. Throughout the investigation, WCPS says they worked closely with the Office of the State Prosecutor and other authorities while taking significant steps to strengthen financial safeguards and help ensure this type of misconduct cannot happen again.
“Our community expects and deserves clarity, accountability, and responsible management of taxpayer dollars,” Board President Todd Ferrante said. “Although the financial loss has been repaid, this incident required significant time, attention, and resources and affected the public’s confidence in our school system. We remain focused on learning from this situation and continuing to strengthen safeguards that protect the resources entrusted to us.”
As WMDT previously reported, Shorts worked for Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) from 1989 until early this year, most recently serving as the Chief Academic Officer, or Assistant Superintendent, and as the WCPS Title I grant coordinator. In the grant coordinator role, Shorts was permitted to make purchases for educational purposes and for the benefit of the school system. However, according to charging documents, from Jan. 2019 through Oct. 2025, Shorts used her school-issued Purchase Card to make thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases from Amazon, submitting invoices she physically altered in support of those purchases.
Shorts falsely indicated that $84,365.82 of the purchases made from Amazon were to benefit Title I schools, which resulted in that amount being deducted from a grant intended to support students of low-income families. Court documents showed that Shorts purchased thousands of dollars in pool equipment, clothing, make-up, hair and skin care, and other personal items. She also purchased materials and equipment for a learning center partially owned by her, and furnishings for her vacation home in Florida.
The school system first became aware of potential irregularities through the State legislative audit process and immediately cooperated with investigators upon notification of concerns. In Wednesday’s release, WCPS said they submitted a victim impact statement to the Court, in which the Board emphasized that the misappropriated funds originated from Title I resources intended to support students facing the greatest barriers to academic success, adding that misuse of those funds undermines educational opportunities and public trust.
This article has been updated since its initial publication with additional information from the Maryland State Prosecutor and Worcester County Public Schools.
