New York State Senator James Skoufis announced today that he will introduce legislation to stop “excessive compensation packages” for the leadership of the State University of New York.
This move comes after John King was appointed as the SUNY Chancellor this week. King will receive $750,000 a year plus enormous perks. He will receive a paid house in Albany, but will mysteriously receive a housing stipend for living in New York City. He will also enjoy a monthly travel stipend, a personal chauffeur, and a state-owned vehicle or a monthly car allowance.
In addition, King has been awarded a full professorship, which may make him eligible to win even more rewards.
According to Skoufis, former SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras and Iterim Chancellor Deborah Stanley milked the taxpayers for base salaries of $450,000 and 500,000, respectively.
“At a time when New Yorkers are having to make difficult decisions about whether to take on crippling student debt to attend our public universities, the SUNY board-approved compensation package awarded to our new Chancellor is a slap in the face,” said Skoufis. “While legislators shouldn’t be in the business of telling our educators how to do their jobs, we sure as heck should be involved in calling out wasteful taxpayer spending when we see it.”
“I respect the difficult challenges our new Chancellor will face in transforming the SUNY system in the months and years ahead, but we can all agree that this compensation package is an outrage,” added Skoufis.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, who has widely been accused of pay-to-play schemes, had a different point of view about King.
“I look forward to working with him on our ambitious goal of transforming SUNY into the top statewide system of public higher education in the country,” Hochul gushed.
SUNY enrollment has fallen by more than 20% over the past decade.
