Welfare By The Elite, For the Elite at CSU
The California State University (CSU) trustees decided to offer three of its presidents nearly $85,000 in raises on Tuesday, despite its ongoing budget shortfalls that have led to layoffs, slashing of course offerings, wage freezes and double digit tuition hikes (including a 12% tuition increase last year). The university faces another midyear tuition increase, pay cuts for teachers and hundreds more layoffs if the November tax measure fails. The trustees have justified the move by arguing that the money will come only from private donors who wish to augment the pay of CSU’s executives, the SF Chronicle reported today.
This begs the question of who would give away money to a university expressly to boost the pay of its bosses, all of whom already earn over $300,000 per year (not including perks like subsidized housing and a $12,000 per year vehicle allowance), while allowing these same