By The California Faculty Association brought attention to the growing pay gap between school faculty and administrators by releasing the second part of their “Race to the Bottom” series on Tuesday.
The report, known as the “white papers,” shows that over the last 10 years, the California State University system has spent 48 percent more on administrators, while only 25 percent more on faculty. This is despite a 33 percent increase in overall spending.
“All the time that we were losing money, the administrators were gaining money,” Doug Domingo-Foraste, the president of the CFA’s Long Beach chapter, said.
Part-time faculty also adversely affected over the last 10 years, with the CSUs relying increasingly on their employment.
“Most [part-time faculty members] are teaching huge numbers of students for incredibly low pay,” Domingo Foraste said.
He also said that 47 percent of California State University, Long Beach’s faculty consists of part-time employees without permanent contracts.
18 CSU campuses, including CSULB, saw an increase in the pay gap between managers and faculty by more than 10 percent.
The white paper also lists the salaries of campus presidents. CSULB’s president, Jane Close Connelly earns over $320,000 a year according to the document. CSU presidents also receive allowances for housing, car payments and travel expenses.
Laurie Weidner, the media contact for the CSU Chancellor’s office, said that they are committed to adequately compensating for CSU’s faculty.
“We’ve made a commitment to build our tenure track faculty… last year we hired a record number of tenured professors,” Weidner said. “The lion’s share of our resources are going to faculty.”
Domingo-Foraste said that the increase in the number of administrators has had some positive effects, such as higher graduation rates and the creation of the “Long Beach College Promise,” a program that aims to increase the number of admitted students in CSULB from local high schools.
Over 30 members of the CFA, including a representative from each CSU campus, wore red shirts to the Board of Trustees’ public hearing the same day as the release of the white papers.
They came to address the board about equalizing pay to match faculty salaries with that of the most recently hired faculty.
This is known as “campus pay equalization,” which is a separate issue not addressed by this white paper.
“We noticed this morning a press release on the Cal Faculty website saying how much the administration values faculty,” said incoming Chair of the CFA bargaining team Kevin Wehr in an address to the Board of Trustees. “If you really do, it will translate to 23 successful equity programs, not just words on a website.”
Weidner said that campus pay equalization is currently handled campus by campus, but the CFA wants to make equity programs statewide during their contract negotiations this May.
“We stand with the CFA in asking the governor and legislature for adequate funding,” Weidner said.
The CFA plans on addressing the report to the Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on March 25.
Domingo-Foraste said that the Board of Trustees did not respond to the first part of their white paper.
