CSBJ Daily

When Gov. Bill Ritter announced a likely freeze on hiring new state employees and ordered a halt to new construction last week, Colorado’s institutions of higher learning were suddenly put on high alert.

The move was precipitated by the state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, which warned the governor’s office that the state could be facing a $100 million shortfall.

Two proposed education-related cuts included $30 million allocated to expand full-day kindergarten and another $50 million for capital construction projects in the state.

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs – like the school’s Boulder and Denver campuses – has at least one capital project underway that could be affected. The new science and engineering building was one of three construction projects in the CU system likely to be affected by a freeze.

Brian Burnett, UCCS chief operating officer, said the campus’ $56 million science and engineering building is already more than half way complete, and Chancellor Pamela Shockley-Zalabak has requested an exemption from the budget freeze.

“Here’s the issue – they’re talking about stopping work on capital projects that haven’t been started” Burnett said. “In our case, the state only contributed $20 million toward the project while the University funded $36 million.”