Cal State trustees vote to ask Legislature for $715.5 million for 2022-2023 operating budget

California State University Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to ask the state legislature for $715.5 million for the 2022-23 operating budget.

The funding request includes $75 million for the Graduation Initiative 2025, $20 million to address student basic needs, $16.8 million to support the state’s higher education housing grant program, and $223.3 million to increase faculty and staff salaries and benefits.

But some trustees expressed concern that the funding request to improve faculty compensation wasn’t nearly enough. The 23-campus system is currently conducting a study of faculty and staff salaries that won’t be finalized until March.

Chancellor Joseph Castro said he and the other campus presidents “feel a sense of urgency” to support improving staff and faculty salaries. The governor’s office and the legislature are also aware of the salary studies.

Trustee Romey Sabalius said he’s convinced that the study will show that CSU employees’ compensation is below and not comparable to other similar universities across the country.

“I somewhat reluctantly agree to await the study on faculty salaries … granted the results will come in too late to inform the trustees’ budget request which will be finalized today,” Trustee Romy Sabalius said, before the vote. “I hope that the results will be available before our legislators will finalize the budget of the CSU … I hope that the stakeholders of the CSU … will advocate in Sacramento for the appropriate funding for our compensation pool.”