Luis Valentino, the superintendent of the Albuquerque school district, resigned last week after a four-month tenure in the wake of a controversy over his hiring of a deputy superintendent later discovered to be facing child-sex-abuse charges.
At issue is the hiring of Jason Martinez, who joined the payroll without the required criminal-background check. Local media later reported that he was facing charges in Colorado for allegedly molesting two children.
A lawyer for the interim superintendent of human resources told the Albuquerque Journal that she had informed Valentino numerous times that Martinez’s background check was incomplete. Valentino admitted to making a mistake in the hiring process and said he was unaware of Martinez’s legal problems. Martinez also resigned.
