A new report released this week by CFA reveals a damning new account of how the CSU Administration has misused millions of dollars in state funding at a time when the CSU has been pummeled by the budget cuts.
The report was released in support of language in the governor’s proposed budget plan that says funding cuts to the CSU will be handled through targeted reductions that “have a minimal impact on CSU student access and educational opportunities.”
The report outlines how CSU management has handed out raises to top managers and hired high-priced labor relations consultants and outside lobbyists despite already employing well-compensated in-house staff to perform the same duties.
Along with the report, CFA sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown and members of the legislature urging them to review these findings and make decisions going forward on this year’s budget that protect the educational mission of the CSU.
The letter, signed by CFA President Lillian Taiz for CFA, states: “Your January budget proposal included language directing that $500 million in proposed cuts to the CSU be handled through targeted reductions ‘intended to minimize fee and enrollment impacts on students by targeting actions that lower the costs of instruction and administration.’ We hope this research will assist you in achieving this goal.”
“As governor, you have stressed the importance of enacting state budget cuts in a frugal and focused way with the least impact on state services provided to the public. We especially appreciate the attention you have paid to ending government waste even in amounts which may seem small in the context of a multi-billion dollar state budget deficit but that illustrate the need for our public institutions to return to the missions for which they were created.”
