Professors say state question would leave taxpayers paying contracts

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A group of Oklahoma college professors is opposing a state question because they say it could leave taxpayers footing the bill for fired university presidents.

State Question six-86 would authorize contracts of up to three years for public college and university presidents. Current law permits only one-year contracts for university and college presidents.

The group Nix six-86 says Oklahoma's 27 college presidents are paid a total of more than three and a-half (M) million dollars.

It contends that the proposal could leave taxpayers with a potential liability of nearly eleven (M) million dollars if all 27 presidents were fired with three years left on their contracts.

Nix six-86 says it could cost up to 400-thousand dollars to buy out a three-year contract of an average college president.

The group is calling for the defeat of State Question six-86 in the general election.