By Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:37 a.m. on Tuesday, March 25 to clarify that no layoffs are expected this fiscal year.
Long Beach State braces for significant budget constraints as the state funding decreases, resulting in hiring freezes and staffing shortages that could impact campus operations during the next fiscal year.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley has stressed efforts to restore state funding and reaffirmed the university’s educational mission in response to a $28 million cut, which is nearly 5% of its $581 million operating budget.
Graphic credit: El Nicklin
An 8% state funding reduction, accounting for 60% of CSULB’s budget, has led to a hiring freeze and spending cuts.
“Reducing our state allocation removes money we use to operate the university,” said CSULB’s Vice President of Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Scott Apel. “We have to stop spending.”
To mitigate the impact, the university has curtailed travel, purchases and campus repairs.
While 80% of the budget is allocated to salaries and benefits, Apel emphasized no layoffs are expected next fiscal year, though the hiring freeze will leave positions vacant, straining campus operations.
“All vital services will be delivered normally, but other services will be delayed as we deal with staffing shortages,” Apel said.
Apel said most university funds go through divisional budgets, with vice presidents calculating cuts and determining which positions to leave unfilled.
Concerns remain over the hiring freeze’s impact on faculty retention and student learning.
“Faculty are always concerned about budget cuts, particularly with the hiring freeze in place, meaning certain faculty will not be rehired,” Academic Senate Chair Neil Hultgren said. “We have been assured repeatedly that layoffs will not be a part of this.”
Despite record enrollment from state mandates over the past two years, Long Beach State has not received additional funding to support this growth.
Officials plan to maintain current enrollment levels to avoid further financial pressure.
“Our plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is to hold enrollment essentially flat, as we don’t want to increase operating expenses while our budget is being cut,” Apel said.
Amid these challenges, Conoley and other CSU presidents are traveling to Sacramento to urge lawmakers to reconsider the funding cuts.
“Everyone in the CSU system is trying to communicate that our graduates drive the economy of the state,” Apel said. “Cutting the budget of the CSU is the same as suppressing the economy of California.”
Faculty members stay informed on CSU budget discussions through campus councils and committees.
According to Hultgren, faculty are connected to budget-related groups, including the University Resources Council and Resource Planning Process, which meet during budget season. They also get budgetary updates at the Senate executive meetings.
“There’s a lot of advocacy going on to reduce the budget cut in Sacramento, and faculty appreciate that,” Hultgren said. “We want students to have the best learning experience possible, and we are concerned about how this will impact them.”
He added that faculty would be happy to act as advocates in Sacramento.
CSU Employees Union Long Beach Chapter’s Chief Steward Lori Donaldson said the hiring freeze has led to job consolidations and cross-training rather than new hires.
“They have consolidated job descriptions and cross-trained on some things… they are not just hiring — that’s what the deal is,” she said.
Donaldson stated that hiring currently requires presidential approval.
She also highlighted the importance of teamwork during these changes.
“It’s just about moving everybody into one space to cover for each other and ensuring clear lines of communication and clarification to prevent staff from being overloaded,” she said.
