A projected one billion dollar budget deficit for Cal State during the next school year means they’re cutting costs across the system right now.
Students and faculty at CSU LA, CSU East Bay, CSU Monterey Bay, and Cal Maritime say they have been particularly impacted by these cuts. Fewer class options has led to larger class sizes, and short staffing has led to more work for the staff who have been retained.
CSU East Bay has been suffering from declining enrollment for years, it’s gone down almost 26% since 2016. They’ve had to reduce the number of classes they offer.
On the other hand, enrollment at Cal State Monterey Bay has increased by more than 15% since Fall 2023. But it also had to reduce its budget. One way it’s done that is by cutting faculty members.
Cal Maritime has also dramatically reduced its workforce, in August it abruptly laid off 10 staff members. With less than 800 students it’s the smallest school in the Cal State system.
It’s discussing the possibility of merging with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to deal with increasing financial pressure. That merger is set to be voted on in November.
