There are 1,844 University of Colorado employees who make more than Gov. Bill Owens – proof that the university does not need the revenue windfall offered by Referendums C and D, El Paso County Commissioner and Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights author Douglas Bruce said Tuesday.
Owens’ $90,000 annual salary pales in comparison with the $750,000 earned by CU Health Sciences professor Francois Lacour-Gayet, Bruce noted, arguing that the professor’s salary and others prove higher education does not need the boost offered by the proposed five-year suspension of his 1992 constitutional amendment.
According to CU, only $1,794 of Lacour-Gayet’s salary comes from the state, with the rest as pass-through money from grants and his practice as a pediatric surgeon.
Still, Bruce said the salaries he highlighted in a news conference at the state Capitol are evidence of “massive waste.”
Referendum C would allow the state to keep about $3.7 billion it otherwise would have to refund, according to state analysts. Referendum D asks voters’ permission to borrow more money.
“This is not really about education,” Bruce said, challenging proponents’ claim that only a yes vote Nov. 1 can prevent runaway tuition increases.
“This is about huge pay raises for the bureaucrats in government,” he said.
According to CU, most of the nearly $263 million in CU salaries that Bruce highlighted Tuesday come from sources other than the state’s general fund.
Of CU’s entire $1.9 billion budget for 2006, only $150 million comes from the state, CU spokeswoman Michele McKinney said. Research grants and contracts provide about $590 million, she said.
Bruce also criticized CU President Hank Brown for campaigning for the referendums.
Brown takes unpaid leave for all campaign activities, McKinney said.
Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com.
