Welcome to "Budget Central." This information has been created to provide our campus community the latest news about California's budget situation and its impact on the California State University and CSU Bakersfield.

Budget update

In acknowledgement of a $14 billion budget deficit or more facing California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $386 million cut to the California State University budget that had been approved by the CSU Board of Trustees for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

The Governor's proposed budget fails to fund:

Although the May revision of the state budget restored $97.6 million to the CSU, a gap of approximately $288 million remains. Even under the improved proposal, the CSU continues to face serious fiscal challenges, including $114 million in mandatory cost increases for which no general fund resources exist. These are additional expenditures that the CSU must make in 2008-09 to meet escalating energy costs and employees' health insurance premiums.

This funding reduction comes three years after the CSU budget was reduced by more than $500 million, and has serious implications on providing an educated work force that drives the California economy. After adjusting for inflation, the CSU budget today remains below the 2002 level.

In May, due to the state budget crisis and the proposed reductions in university funding, the CSU was forced to raise student fees by $276 per year. Revenue from the fee increase will be used to manage class sizes and maintain cutting edge course offerings, and knowledgeable instructors.

Locally the impact of budget cuts has yet to be specified, but reductions will have significant consequences. Both the campus and the CSU will be closely watching the upcoming special legislative session in Sacramento to deal with the state budget shortfall. You are urged to join with CSUB students, faculty, staff and administration in advocating for the CSU and for our state's investment in higher education.

CSUB Approved Campus Budget for 2007-08

Local news and information

CSU news and information

Budget and legislative resources

How you can help

Whether you are a student, a parent, a graduate, a faculty member, staff member or friend of the university, you can help CSUB and the California State University at this critical time. We need you to be the voice of CSUB to let California's legislators know how this university has made a difference to you, to our region and to our state.