{"id":93055,"date":"2015-10-20T20:32:05","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T02:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=93055"},"modified":"2015-10-20T20:32:05","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T02:32:05","slug":"mora-superintendent-trujillo-surrenders-education-licenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/10\/mora-superintendent-trujillo-surrenders-education-licenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Mora Superintendent Trujillo surrenders education licenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update:<\/strong> <\/em>After the following story went to press, the state Public Education Department issued a statement announcing that Mora Superintendent Charles Trujillo has surrendered his education licenses.<\/p>\n

“When we learned of the claims against Superintendent Charles Trujillo, we immediately launched an investigation and began working with State Police,” PED spokesman Robert McEntyre wrote. “This afternoon, Superintendent Trujillo has agreed to surrender his education licenses.”<\/p>\n

In his statement, McEntyre writes that despite the fact that Trujillo surrendered his education licenses, the PED’s investigation is continuing.<\/p>\n

“We will take swift action and hold those accountable for any wrongdoing,” he added.<\/p>\n

Without an administrative license, Trujillo cannot continue serving as the superintendent in Mora.<\/p>\n

Original article:<\/h3>\n

The state Public Education Department is taking steps to suspend the license of Mora Independent School District Superintendent Charles Trujillo as the Mora school board prepares to place the embattled superintendent on paid leave this Thursday.<\/p>\n

\"Charles

Las Vegas Optic<\/p>

Charles E. Trujillo<\/p><\/div>\n

Meanwhile, a state PED employee issued a statement on Tuesday saying that she informed her supervisors and the agency\u2019s Ethics Bureau well over a year ago \u201cthat something was wrong with the issuance of the licenses that are now mentioned in the newspaper reports.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fallout stems from an investigative report published by the Optic on Sunday<\/a> that found that Trujillo faked his credentials in order to obtain an administrative license. Among other things, Trujillo submitted a falsified Highlands University transcript to PED purporting to verify that he earned a master\u2019s degree. Highlands officials said that he never earned a master\u2019s degree from the institution.<\/p>\n

In addition, three letters were submitted to the PED\u2019s Professional Licensure Bureau exaggerating the amount of higher education administration and teaching experience Trujillo had.<\/p>\n

The faked transcript and embellished employment verifications were relied upon by PED in issuing Trujillo four educator licenses, including an administrative license that Trujillo later used to get a job as an assistant superintendent with the Pecos school district and most recently as the superintendent of the Mora school district.<\/p>\n