Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Two-year college Interim Chancellor Thomas Corts had been on the job for a little more than a week before finding out Thursday how much he'd be paid and the length of his employment.

The board, missing only Gov. Bob Riley, unanimously approved a two-year contract for Corts that pays $236,500 annually - about the same as the recently fired chancellor, Roy Johnson.

Corts, who began his job as interim chancellor Aug. 15, also received a car for official use, $5,000 for his move from Birmingham to Montgomery, $2,400 annually for expenses and a $12,000 annual housing allowance.

While most people might balk at accepting a job without knowing the salary, Corts said he didn't give it a second thought.

"I agreed to do this job before I even knew what it paid and that's not a central consideration of mine," Corts said after the State Board of Education's monthly meeting. "I understand that there are benefits to me, but that's not my central motivation."

The state board fired Johnson on July 11 amid concerns over a corruption probe and nepotism issues. Johnson is still technically the system's chancellor while on paid leave for eight months and has continued drawing his $237,000 annual salary.

Johnson's removal came amid a state and federal investigation that led to state Rep. Bryant Melton, D-Tuscaloosa, admitting to funneling state funds through legislative grants to the Alabama Fire College Foundation, then using the money to pay gambling debts. Melton had worked at Shelton State Community College, where the Fire College is located.

The board on Thursday approved 2006-07 operating budgets that gave the fire college a 19 percent increase to $7.54 million, while the two-year college system's operating budget increased 4.58 percent to $911.6 million.

The state appropriation to the department rose 29 percent to $33.75 million, primarily due to an increase for adult education.

Corts, who recently retired as president of Samford University in Birmingham, told the board Thursday he was still in a "listening and learning" stage and while there were negative aspects within the system, he was pleased by its positive points.

"I'm not at all discouraged," he said. "I think we have a wonderful chance to sort of refocus as a learning organization and making learning and training our essential business."

So far Corts has started an investigation into problems at Bishop State Community College's financial aid office and announced this week he was suspending a search for the next president of Snead State Community College. That president would be the first one named under Corts' leadership.

Riley had said after Corts' hiring on July 27 that the search for Johnson's replacement would be inclusive, national in its scope and hopefully completed in 12 to 18 months.

David Byers of Birmingham was one of three board members who negotiated Corts' contract and said Riley was fine with it being longer than his proposed 18-month deadline.

"There are a lot of things that need to get straightened out before anybody else would want to come be permanent chancellor, so we wanted to make sure we had Dr. Corts' commitment for long enough to straighten out the issues," Byers said.

The board also voted to provide tuition assistance to displaced workers of Selma's Southland Mower Corporation and L-3 Vertex Aerospace, and Opelika-based Michelin/B.F. Goodrich, allowing them to take classes at half-price. An amendment to allow animals onto the campuses of two-year colleges if the schools are being used as hurricane shelters was also approved.