A foundation associated with the Alabama Fire College received $85,000 in state grants from legislators before it came under review by federal investigators.

State Comptroller Bob Childree said legislators’ community service grants went to the Alabama Fire College Foundation during three years: $15,000 in 2000, $40,000 in 2002, and $30,000 in 2003.

Childree said Thursday the records do not show which legislator directed money to the foundation.

The grants, commonly called “legislative pork,” were issued by the Legislature before the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in September 2005 that the grants program was unconstitutional.

A state commission hires the top management at Fire College. The training school for firefighters is located on the campus of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa and the two-year school serves as its fiscal agent.

On Sept. 10, 2004, FBI agents visited the Fire College and took away boxes of records.

State Postsecondary Chancellor Roy Johnson said two Shelton State employees have attended a federal grand jury session and been asked about the foundation. One of the employees was Shelton State President Rick Rogers, who is a nonvoting member of the foundation.

The foundation was set up by Fire College Director Bill Langston, who is retiring effective June 30.

Johnson told the State Board of Education on Thursday that problems at the Fire College have more to do with the private foundation than the two-year college system.

“I do think the real problems are going to lie with the activities of the foundation,” he said.

Johnson has asked Attorney General Troy King’s office to help shut down the private foundation.

State records show the foundation received $300,000 in state funds from Johnson’s staff in 2003. Johnson said money was sent by mistake to the foundation rather than Shelton State, and once the error was discovered, the foundation returned the money to Shelton State.

In 2003, the foundation run by Langston decided to build him a home. Langston declined to move in, and the foundation sold the house for less than it cost to build.

Johnson said he and Gov. Bob Riley discussed the Fire College on Thursday and both agreed changes are needed. Johnson said he told Riley he’d be willing to remove the two-year college system from management of the Fire College if Riley would agree to give the state commission, which he helped appoint, all the authority.

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at 12:51 am and is filed under College Grant. Tags: Alabama Fire College, Alabama Fire College Foundation, Alabama Supreme Court, Bill Langston, Bob Childree, Bob Riley, campus of Shelton State Community College, College, Education News, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grant, Rick Rogers, Roy Johnson, Shelton State, Shelton State Community College, State Board of Education, Troy King, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.