by Jack Lee
Times are tough, and the State of California is broke, college tuition is soaring as funding is cut, forcing students and their families to struggling with the new costs of a UC education. So why would CSU Fullerton authorize President Mildred Garcia a $30,000 raise (a 10% pay hike)? And why would they give her another benefit, a $300,000 remodel job on the eight-bedroom historical house where she will live…for free? Nice digs too: It’s a 5,800-square-foot mansion nestled on a 3.9-acre parcel with a tennis court. The property was last assessed at $3.4 million in 2011 and this is after properties went on a sharp decline. The new Queen of UC Fullerton will be force to live on paltry $5000 a month housing allowing under her mansion will be ready in about 1-3 months.
And that’s not all – we all know how prices at the pump have hit families hard, but it won’t bother Ms. Garcia, she will be given $1000 a month for her car allowance. Given the short distance to and from work she could take a golf cart, but now she can hire a limo or pocket the money.
It’s good to be the Queen! Amazingly, the California State University Board of Trustees voted with a straight face to give Garcia – the outgoing president of CSU Dominguez Hills in Carson – the maximum pay raise allowable under a new executive compensation cap approved by trustees in January. In addition to her base salary of $324,500, she gets free housing at the presidential estate and a $12,000-per-year car allowance.
It’s must be hard to get good help these days. And where are you going to find anyone who has done so much for education that will work for such a paltry wage? What’s she done for education? Well, I’ve never heard of her, but in her last job she made students and faculty feel better about themselves. The faculty thinks this has caused enrollment to go up, but then this was back in the good ol days when students had money to go to college.
Dominguez Hills has only been around since 1960 and it’s been climbing in size and enrollment ever since. Billions of dollars have been poured into this college over the years in huge projects like the 27,000 seat multiple-sports and entertainment complex and an indoor track and field Velodrome that seats 2,450, and there are other new track and field facilities. These taxpayer funded projects have added to the prestige of DH and since it’s students are over 44% Hispanic and 22% Black, it makes the perfect showcase for all sorts of government funding for minorities.
Are they better students at DH as a result of the costly improvements and do they get a better education? No, not really, but they have more prestige and that’s what is important these days and this is due in no small measure to Ms Garcia being there for the last 4 years or so says the faculty board.
At Dominguez Hills, she earned $295,000, and received a stipend for living in university housing. Ms. Garcia will be eligible to retire in two years at about 75% of her new base salary. In addition she will have the standard benefits found at UC colleges, such as full medical coverage and this includes an impressive selection of medical plans that are top notch. Plus free dental and vision plans — These plans are fully paid by the university for employees and their families! Paid vacation — Generous vacation accrual begins the first day of work — 3 weeks per year to start for most career employees, increasing based on years of service. Paid sick leave — All full-time employees earn 12 days per year with unlimited accrual! Paid holidays — Employees enjoy 13 days per year at most UC locations. Life insurance — UC automatically provides basic coverage for eligible employees and an array of affordable additional coverage is available for employees and their family members. Disability insurance — UC automatically provides short- and long-term coverage for eligible employees, and a selection of affordable expanded coverage options is available. Workers compensation — Workers’ Comp is provided as required under state law. Accident insurance — The university pays the full cost of business travel accident insurance to cover employees while traveling on official UC business. Employees can purchase low-cost accidental death and dismemberment insurance for themselves and family members. Legal systems services plan — Employees may purchase insurance from the legal services plan. Even AUTO, HOMEOWNER & RENTER INSURANCE plans — Employees can purchase low cost insurance from these plans.
In Ms. Garcia’s case it is not known how much of the standard benefit plan will continue after her retirement, but it’s common for health insurance to continue for administrators free of charge until death.
Meanwhile, CSU governors plan to cut enrollment by up to 25,000 students in 2013-14, and they have said that if voters do not pass Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative come November, the system will lay off up to 3,000 faculty and staff. This cut back will not affect administrators.
This will make you even sicker.
Ive said this before, but just a reminder that what is going on at this one campus is also going on at 10 UC campuses, 23 CSU campuses, 112 community college and hundreds of k-12 districts throughout the state.
Everyone of them has an elected body or an appointed official by an elected individual who decides and approves every salary and benefit package awarded.
We are talking millions and millions here. Raising tuition, enrollment fees, other student related fees and taxes while cutting classes and services to pay for these salaries, benefits and perks.
From Wikipedia
UC System:
As of 2011, the University of California has a combined student body of 234,464 students, 18,896 faculty, 189,116 staff members, and over 1,600,000 living alumni.[2]
Its first campus, UC Berkeley, was founded in 1868, while its tenth and newest campus, UC Merced, opened for classes in fall 2005. Nine campuses enroll both undergraduate and graduate students; one campus, UCSF, enrolls only graduate and professional students in the medical and health sciences. In addition, the independently administered UC Hastings[3] located in San Francisco but not part of the UCSF campus enrolls only graduate and professional students in legal studies.
CSU System:
The CSU system is composed of 23 campuses and has over 400,000 students supported by 47,000 faculty members and staff.[3] It is the largest senior system of higher education in the United States.[4]
Community College System:
The California Community Colleges System (CCCS) consists of 112 community colleges in 72 community college districts in the U.S. state of California. Created by legislation in 1967, it is the largest system of higher education in the world, serving more than 2.9 million students with a wide variety of educational and career goals.
The system is administered by the Chancellor’s Office located in Sacramento, which is responsible for allocating state funding and provides leadership and technical assistance to the colleges. The CCCS, along with the research-oriented University of California system and the teaching-oriented California State University system, together form California’s system of public higher education.
The CCCS is governed by the Board of Governors which, within the bounds of state law, sets systemwide policy. The 17 Board members, who represent the public, faculty, students, and classified employees, are appointed by the Governor of California as directed by Section 71000 of the California Education Code.[1] The Board is also directed by the Education Code to allow local authority and control of the community college districts to the “maximum degree permissible” and AB 1725 in 1974 added a formal consultation process which has resulted in the formation of a Consultation Council[2] to assure the Board of Governors and Chancellor’s Office remain responsive in this respect.
The Chancellor of the system brings policy recommendations to the Board of Governors, and possesses the authority to implement the policies of the Board through his leadership of the Chancellor’s Office. The Chancellor plays a key role in the consultation process.
Elementary System:
California is the most populous state of the U.S. and has the most school students, with over 6.2 million in the 200506 school year. About 25% of school students are English learners, compared to 9% nationally. Funding and staffing levels in California schools lag behind other states. In expenditure per pupil, California ranked 29th of the 50 states and District of Columbia in 200506. In teaching staff expenditure per pupil, California ranked 49th of 51. In overall teacher-pupil ratio, California was also 49th, with 21 students per teacher. Only Arizona and Utah were lower.[1]
From Ed Source
http://www.edsource.org/sys_edsystem.html
School districts are responsible for local expenditures
School districts are the fiscal agents of Californias public school system and as such they are responsible for using the funds the state and federal government provide to deliver educational services to the states children. Oversight is provided by county offices of education for the districts in their county.
Jack,
Queen Elizabeth I did not say “Let them eat cake,” it was Marie Annshwabnette.
Elizabeth I might have been a bad-tempered bitch, but she took care of her people. She spoke Cornish, which was huge of her, at a time when many courtiers only spoke French and High English.
Get yourself a pasty Jack, you’ll never eat cake again!
The pay scale for the California State Universities, Universities of California and the JC’s are outrageous. What is worse is that this system is independent of State Legislature oversight. Even the Governor has no jurisdiction over these people. Paul Zing at Chico State keep threatening to cut classes if we don’t give them more money, yet Chico State has about 88 administrators making over $100,000 a year. Not one of those jobs has been cut. I’m not taking about profs, these people contribute almost nothing to the students education. Administrators just hold meetings, they are purely overhead.
The system has turned upside down. The students are no longer the priority, the administration jobs are.
I’ve asked Doug LaMafa what we can do about this, and he just kind of shrugged his shoulders.
I don’t think $400k is extravagant. She runs a rather large institution. She valiantly attempts to see to it that over 3500 employees do something vaguely resembling their job.
I know of some private sector employees (lawyers, wouldn’t you know) who pull down $500K for writing 14-page memoranda full of obfuscatory drivel.
The university president at least does something useful. This society’s priorities need work.
Jim: “Even the Governor has no jurisdiction over these people.”
Not true!
The governor (Jerry Brown) appoints the Trustees to serve as the CSU Regents. Dont like whats going on in the CSU system? Elected a different governor.
Complete list of Trustees available in link.
http://www.calstate.edu/bot/trustees.shtml
Ex Officio Trustees
Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Governor of California
Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor
John A. Prez, Speaker of the Assembly
Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Charles B. Reed, CSU Chancellor
http://www.calstate.edu/bot/overview.shtml
Under present law there are 25 Trustees (24 voting, one non-voting). Five Trustees are ex officio members: the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Chancellor. The CSU Statewide Alumni Council appoints an Alumni Trustee. The Governor appoints a Faculty Trustee from nominees proposed by the Statewide Academic Senate. The Alumni and Faculty Trustees serve for two years. The Governor appoints two student trustees from nominees proposed by the California State Student Association. These student trustees serve staggered two-year terms. One student trustee has full voting powers; the second, non-voting student trustee succeeds to the voting position upon the expiration of the term of the first. The sixteen remaining trustees are appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the State Senate, and serve eight year terms. Trustees confirmed by the senate remain on the board until a replacement is named or 60 days after their term expires whichever comes first (Government Code 1774). Alumni, Faculty, and Student Trustee terms expire at the end of their term (Education Code 66602).
The Governor is designated as the President of the Board, the General Counsel serves as Secretary, and the Chief Financial Officer as Treasurer. Other officers, including the board’s chair and vice chair, are elected by board members for one-year terms.
2012-2013 CSU Executive Summary Chart: (Paul Zingg is listed)
http://www.calstate.edu/exec_comp/documents/July2012.pdf
Juanita, yeah, I knew it was Marie that said it, but I just wanted a pic of a Queen saying something snobby. Good eye, you recognized it was Lizzy 1.
Peggy, excellent job finding that info. Thanks, I am looking it over and trying to figure out what we can do about over compensation.
Thank you Peggy, I stand corrected.