THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT AT ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS OUT. THE SCHOOL BOARD MONDAY MORNING VOTED TO ACCEPT LUIS VALENTINO’S VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION. VALENTINO HAD SAID HE BELIEVED THE BOARD WOULD RETAIN HIM. RAQUEL REEDY HAS BEEN NAMED ACTING SUPERINTENDENT UNTIL A REPLACEMENT HAS BEEN FOUND.
HE CAME UNDER FIRE WHEN IT WAS LEARNED HIS HAND-PICKED DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT … JASON MARTINEZ … WAS WANTED IN COLORADO ON CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES … AND ASSAULT CHARGES. MARTINEZ RESIGNED WITHOUT EVER COMPLETING A BACKGROUND CHECK. HE WAS ARRESTED LAST WEEK IN DENVER BUT HAS SINCE BONDED OUT OF JAIL. THE DISTRICT’S HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE SAYS IT WARNED VALENTINO THAT THERE WAS NO BACKGROUND CHECK ON MARTINEZ, BUT VALENTINO IS SAID TO HAVE IGNORED THOSE WARNINGS.
IN A RELATED ISSUE, APS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DON MOYA REMAINS ON PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER NOTIFYING VALENTINO THAT MARTINEZ WAS NOT PROPERLY HANDLING APS CONTRACTS. VALENTINO FIRED OFF A TEXT MEANT FOR STATE EDUCATION SECRETARY HANNA SKANDERA THAT WENT TO MOYA INSTEAD. IT SAID VALENTINO WAS GOING AFTER MOYA, WHO HE FELT HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO RUN “ROUGHSHOT” OVER THE DISTRICT AND HAD TO MUCH CONTROL OF APS FINANCIALS.
VALENTINO CAME ON THE JOB IN JULY … HIRED AFTER FORMER SUPERINTENDENT WINSTON BROOKS ABRUPTLY RESIGNED. THE BOARD HAS HELD MEETINGS ON WHETHER TO KEEP VALENTINO AS SUPERINTENDENT SINCE LAST WEEK.
