Ex-school official is charged with lying on résumé
University on his Spring Branch school district application doesn't exist, prosecutors say
By JASON SPENCER, Houston Chronicle, October 22, 2004

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Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A high-ranking Spring Branch schools' administrator has been charged with lying on his résumé by claiming to have a master's degree from a university that prosecutors say does not exist.

Mike Maloney, former associate superintendent for facilities, faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine if convicted of the Class A misdemeanor charge of tampering with a government document.

Maloney, 52, resigned Oct. 5 after being placed on administrative leave by interim Superintendent Duncan Klussmann.

Klussmann, who is expected to take over the superintendent's job permanently next month, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The criminal charge is the most recent in a growing list of scandals to hit Spring Branch since Superintendent Yvonne Katz resigned in August amid questions about consulting work she does for an energy conservation company that she recommended for a district contract.

Katz came to Spring Branch in 2002 from Beaverton, Ore., bringing Maloney with her.

Maloney said in his 2002 district application that he had a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in public administration, both from Cal Southern University, court records show. No such school exists, but a fictional school by that name was the setting of a 1998 television drama on ABC called Push.

More recently, Maloney e-mailed his résumé from his Spring Branch computer on Sept. 30 to an employment firm for consideration for a position at Duke University, according to the warrant. That résumé made no mention of Cal Southern, according to the document.

Investigators said they believe Maloney may have only a two-year associate's degree.

A warrant for Maloney's arrest has been issued, however, he is not in custody. Reached on his cell phone Wednesday afternoon, Maloney said he hasn't done anything wrong.

"I have no idea what they're up to," he said. "I think these folks are behaving badly and not behaving in the interest of the district."

Maloney said everything on his job application was accurate. He then cut the interview short and hung up the phone without answering additional questions.

The charge, filed Oct. 11, is an offshoot of a more broad criminal investigation into Maloney's handling of school district construction and consulting contracts, said Spring Branch ISD Police Chief Chuck Brawner.

"What we're looking at is consulting contracts that were issued to certain consultants and the manner in which they were issued and the manner in which they were held accountable," Brawner said.

Investigators spoke with Maloney by phone on Tuesday and advised him to surrender, Brawner said. A judge has set his bail at $1,000. Maloney told police he is out of state looking for work, Brawner said.

Police are scrutinizing a deal Maloney struck with Robert Lawson, a Camas, Wash.-based roofing consultant who did work for Maloney in Oregon, Brawner said.

Lawson said he had nothing to hide.

"Mike asked me to come down and evaluate every roof in the Spring branch district, which I did," Lawson said. "I'm just really perplexed because Mike Maloney has been the most efficient and most capable guy, so I'm really surprised that there's any accusation."

Chronicle correspondent Annette Baird contributed to this story.

jason.spencer@chron.com