Albuquerque Public Schools Whistleblower Speaks Out About Allegations

Don Moya, the chief financial officer of the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools, recently filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the school district, its superintendent (Luis Valentino) and the New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary (Hanna Skandera). The lawsuit includes multiple claims against the defendants, and Moya recently spoke publicly about a few of them.

According to Moya, he was released from his position via text messages from Valentino. Before that, he never even had an inkling he was in danger of losing his job. At one point, he claims Valentino even offered him the position of deputy superintendent of schools and told Moya his team was the most “highly functioning” and “cohesive” unit in the entire organization.

However, that promotion was allegedly revoked after he met with Skandera and New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. Moya had exchanged emails with Martinez about some suspicious information technology contracts the district had awarded, and says he was just doing his duty to bring to light what he thought was an unfair deal. However, he believes his actions as a whistleblower cost him his job, as according to him, there was no just cause to terminate him at all.

Seeking protection under the law

Moya believes he will be protected by various anti-retaliation whistleblower laws and seeks unspecified compensation.

When a whistleblower uncovers potential wrongdoing within your company or organization, you may need to conduct an internal investigation to look into the claims. For further legal guidance on this sensitive issue, speak with a skilled Dallas attorney at Whistleblower Law for Managers today.