EDUCATION
APS hires former Los Lunas athletic director cited for NCAA officiating during work hours
Auditors found Wilson Holland performed personal work during district hours; he disputes the findings
Published
Modified
A former director of athletics at Los Lunas Schools, who was found in a special audit to have violated district policy by performing personal activities during work hours, has been named assistant superintendent at Albuquerque Public Schools.
Wilson Holland, who was employed as an NCAA Division I basketball referee while working at the Los Lunas district, was found by the audit to have officiated 12 out-of-state games without taking leave from work. Auditors calculated travel time to and from the games and found it was impossible for Holland to have worked an entire day.
Holland was paid $22,921 in officiating fees for the games, according to the report. He was found to have been overpaid by the district up to $5,854 during the audit period for not taking leave.
Holland鈥檚 assigned school vehicle had a broken GPS, the audit found, which was discovered only after a board member questioned his whereabouts.
The audit, commissioned by the state and conducted by the independent firm Jaramillo Accounting Group, examined the school district鈥檚 finances over a nearly two-year period ending in May 2025.
Holland denied any wrongdoing in an interview with the Journal.
鈥淭here was no fraud,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been transparent with my officiating for all my supervisors and would never do anything like that.鈥�
He retired from Los Lunas Schools in December 2024 after more than 15 years with the district.
鈥淚 had a great time at Los Lunas Schools. I was there for a lot of years, being the AD. We did a lot of good things, academically and athletically,鈥� Holland said.
Holland will serve as assistant superintendent of high schools at APS, he told the Journal.
APS spokesperson Martin Salazar said in a statement that Holland was properly vetted before he was hired.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 speak to the internal policies or audit findings of other entities,鈥� Salazar said. 鈥淲hat we can say is that Mr. Holland鈥檚 appointment followed our standard hiring and vetting procedures. He has cleared the state-required background check and is fully licensed for the position. Our focus remains on his leadership and commitment to student outcomes at APS.鈥�
State Auditor Joseph Maestas鈥� office commissioned the of Los Lunas Schools after a request from the state鈥檚 Public Education Department. Officials at the PED suspected potential violations of the state鈥檚 Procurement Code, the law outlining the regulatory process local governments must use to purchase goods and services; and the Open Meetings Act, which ensures government meetings are held in public view.
PED also cited concerns about 鈥減otential overreach of the Los Lunas Board of Education into day-to-day district operations,鈥� PED spokesperson Janelle Taylor Garcia said.
Maestas said in a statement the audit 鈥減resents facts based on the evidence reviewed鈥� while highlighting specific instances of noncompliance.
The audit found any potential overstepping by district officials was unintentional and limited to a few instances, though auditors concluded the district did violate the Open Meetings Act when board members discussed selecting legal vendors while attending a law conference together.
The report also found paid leave violations by state Rep. Brian Baca, R-Los Lunas, the district鈥檚 former deputy superintendent.
Baca was found to have been overpaid by $11,365 for using paid sick leave days while attending the legislative session in Santa Fe in 2024 and 2025, in violation of district policy.
The special audit also found Baca鈥檚 wife worked as a special education facilitator for the school district for nearly a decade despite not having the necessary license to hold the position. As a result, she was paid $64,500 in stipends that she did not technically qualify for, the audit found, while her husband oversaw the district鈥檚 human resources department, which managed licensing compliance.
Baca did not respond to several attempts to contact him last month.
The audit鈥檚 findings in May by the Los Lunas Board of Education, and the full matter has been referred to the PED, according to the State Auditor鈥檚 Office. Referrals to other state agencies could also be made.
A spokesperson for Los Lunas Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
