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Budget questions still up in the air

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Fresno State joins the other CSU campuses in watching the state budget process and waiting to learn what the final figures will be for our campus.

According to a Jan. 7 message from Human Resources Director Jeannine Raymond, no layoffs are anticipated on this campus at this time.

"Campus administrators are responding to budget reductions by carefully monitoring all hiring to fill new or existing positions," Raymond said in a message sent via Infomail. "Conservative hiring practices now will help us minimize the possibility of layoffs in the future. Our goal is to survive the current budget constraints with minimal disruption to the students we serve and without laying off valued employees," she said.

Raymond's message was in response to a message posted on the campus Bulletin Board regarding a formal notice of layoff to CSEA from Sam Strafaci at the Chancellor's Office. That notice was sent by the Chancellor's Office to CSEA regarding two positions at the Chancellor's Office. When a campus or the Chancellor's Office anticipates a lay off, it is required to notify the appropriate union.

The notice sent by Strafaci does not pertain to the Fresno campus, Raymond said.

On Jan. 10, Gov. Gray Davis released his 2002/03 California state budget plan, which proposed a $116.9 million, or 4.5 percent, general fund increase for the California State University. The proposed budget provides full funding for enrollment growth.

CSU leaders welcomed the budget proposal but remained cautious about the fate of the budget in the months ahead.

"This budget reflects how important higher education is to the future of our state, especially at a time of great economic uncertainty," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "Fully funding our enrollment growth will be the key to providing educational opportunity to future generations of Californians."

The governor's proposed increase for the CSU, when combined with $20.9 million in projected fee revenue from enrollment growth, would bring the total CSU base state budget to more than $3.5 billion.

The proposal includes an $87.9 million increase requested by the CSU to fund an additional 12,030 full-time equivalent students expected to enroll in 2002/03. The enrollment funding ensures that the CSU will be able to serve its new students with the faculty, staff and course offerings they need.

At the same time, however, the CSU did not receive the funding it had requested for several priority areas. Although the CSU requested a 4 percent employee compensation increase, the governor's budget allows for only $22.4 million, or a 1 percent increase.

"This budget proposal, while responsive during these difficult times, still leaves us with certain unmet needs," said Richard P. West, the CSU's executive vice chancellor and chief financial officer. "We will continue to make the case for those needs in the context of the state's resources."

The final outcome for the CSU budget will continue to remain uncertain, with the governor and the legislature struggling to find ways to close an estimated $12 billion state budget deficit.

Back to University Journal, 1/21/02 Issue