Dear CSULB Faculty and Staff:
While I wish I had more information to share with you, I am writing to update you about our budget situation. As we approach the official deadline by which the Governor and Legislature are to have agreed upon a budget, many uncertainties still remain, including the ultimate level of cuts we are likely to take and when such decisions will be made.
We do know that the magnitude of the Governor's proposed cuts for the CSU are enormous. The $584 million reduction to the CSU's 2009-10 budget represents a 13 percent cut from 2007-08 funding level.
As you know, the Chancellor's Office has engaged CSU labor groups to discuss the option of implementing furloughs as one means of mitigating these drastic cuts. To date, CSUEU and APC members have agreed to discuss a two-day per month furlough program. Because the CSUEU and APC labor contracts do not contain furlough provisions, these unions will need to agree to a proposed furlough plan. A furlough is a mandated period of time off without pay and differs from salary reductions and pay cuts in that they are temporary and do not affect employment status, or health or retirement benefits. Employees are not required to work on furlough days. The CSU has already taken actions to allow the same two-day furlough program to be implemented for all management and executive employees.
If accepted by all labor groups, the furlough program would save approximately $275 million systemwide. For our campus this represents around 40 percent of the actual budget cut. While addressing a significant portion of the projected 2009-10 budget cuts, furloughs will not solve the entire budget problem. Consequently, regardless of the outcome of the furlough discussions, our campus will face significant budget cuts this coming year.
Currently, numerous discussions are taking place systemwide in an attempt to address these budgetary reductions. The result of these discussions, which may include further reductions in our student enrollment, will provide a framework for our campus planning that will begin as soon as we have a clearer understanding of the cuts we will be expected to take on our campus. As communicated earlier this month, our campus Resource Planning Process (RPP) Task Force provided me recommendations on how to handle the budget reductions that were known this spring. While we will move forward on these recommendations, unfortunately, they address only a small portion of the cuts we now face.
Again, I wish I had more definitive information to share with you. Regardless, I felt that it is important to keep you posted on these developing issues that are sure to have a major impact on our campus including how we are able to meet our educational obligations to our students. I recognize that there are many concerns and much worry about the potential effects of these budget cuts. I share these concerns and also worry as well. While the situation remains uncertain, more information is expected in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your continued attention and patience as this situation unfolds.
F. King Alexander
President
