Updated

Puerto Rico's governor is pushing back on a federal control board's demand for $450 million in cuts at the island's largest public university.

The proposed cuts recently prompted nearly a dozen top university officials to resign in protest.

Ricardo Rossello told the control board on Monday that the University of Puerto Rico cannot sustain further cuts because its budget has already been reduced by $348 million in the past two years.

The board oversees the island's finances. It did not immediately comment on Rossello's letter.

The proposed cuts have been a point of contention as Puerto Rico seeks to restructure some $70 billion in public debt amid a decade-long economic crisis.