Budget Update

California State University Outlines 2014-15 Budget Expenditure Plan

At their July 2014 Board Meeting, California State University Trustees reviewed the system's 2014-15 budget expenditure plan. With an additional $142.2 million in General Fund allocation from the state, the plan prioritizes enrollment growth, student success and completion, employee compensation and critical infrastructure needs.

"With the additional funding provided in this year's budget, the California State University can admit new students, bolster programs that improve student outcomes and reinvest in the talented employees who have sacrificed for many years while remaining committed to the success of our students and the mission of the university," said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.

CSU campuses continue to receive record numbers of applications and funding from the 2014-15 budget will provide access for approximately 9,900 new students across the system. The CSU will also allocate funding for student achievement initiatives that scale best practices or develop new strategies to bolster systemwide efforts to improve student success, minimize time to degree and further narrow achievement gaps for underserved students.

The CSU plans to allocate funding towards a compensation pool to provide salary increases for the system's 45,000 employees. The final amount of any employee compensation increase will be negotiated through the collective bargaining process.

"Faculty and staff have a direct impact on student success and outcomes, and by investing in our employees we are making a long-needed investment directly in student achievement," added White.

Along with a modest 1.34 percent increase for all employees in the 2013-14 budget, the current compensation pool would mark just the second compensation increase for all CSU employees since 2007-08.

The 2014-15 budget also provides the CSU with new statutory authority to address long-standing facility needs either through a new capital financing program as part of the existing systemwide revenue bond (SRB) program or a separate stand-alone debt program.

 

Message from Chancellor Timothy P. White
State Budget News
June 25, 2014

The governor has signed the 2014-15 state budget that includes an increase of $142.2 million in base funding for the CSU. The budget increase will enable the CSU to maintain existing programs and services. Moreover, tuition fees will remain stable for our students for the fourth consecutive year. The allocation will also enable us to begin to address a backlog of deferred maintenance projects.

This increase in our budget is welcome and reflects the tremendous grassroots advocacy work of the CSU family—students, faculty, staff, alumni, labor leaders and community supporters—who were in the trenches meeting with lawmakers about California's need to reinvest in the CSU. As you are likely aware, the Trustees' budget request was $95 million more than what was ultimately signed into law. I am grateful to all of you who advocated tirelessly on the CSU's behalf. Your efforts resulted in more than 80 lawmakers committing to "Stand with the CSU" in the budget negotiations, which led to both houses recommending increases to the system's funding allocation to match the Trustees' request. While the final result fell short of our request, it does not diminish the power of our collective voice and our steadfast commitment to student success, nor does it diminish our resolve going forward.

The CSU continues to offer students an excellent education, but in this budgetary climate we will not be able to serve all of the eligible students who want to attend the university. Indeed, over the last two years, the CSU has experienced a 12 percent increase in applications and turned away more than 25,000 California students.

For California to succeed at the level we expect, its climate of innovation and economic growth must be fueled by an educated citizenry. The CSU is doing its part, graduating more than 100,000 students into the workforce annually, and we stand ready to do more. But we can only increase the number of graduates with the adequate, sustained funding needed to hire more faculty and staff to serve our students, to increase employee compensation in order to recruit and retain the best individuals, and to address facility and infrastructure needs.

Our story is compelling, and we must continue to come together and raise the profile of the CSU's impact and importance to the state's economy, businesses and industries, and social fabric. I seek your ongoing assistance sharing the CSU's remarkable story. The vital work you do in the classroom and on campus helps our students become engaged and productive members of society.

Sincerely,

Timothy P. White
Chancellor

View the 2014-15 Budget Process Information.