Want to get all warm and fuzzy about the prospect of voting for a half cent sales tax to support California education?

Then think about the sacrifices being made by Leroy Morishita and Mildred Garcia. The two California State University College campus presidents each are struggling in this tough economy with measly 10 percent pay raises. That’s all the CSU trustees could give them under a policy adopted in January to mollify enraged students, professors, legislative leaders, and taxpayers who were enraged over executive pay raises while tuition is being hiked and enrollment slashed.

Morishita will now receive a base salary of $303,660 for running CSU East Bay while Garcia will get a base pay of $324,500 to run CSU Fullerton. Before you worry about how they are going to make it in this economy with such paltry salaries they also receive a $12,000 car allowance and a $60,000 housing allowance annually.

Even the per diem paid to legislators and the car allowance that was jettisoned last year isn’t even that generous.

To put that in perspective, using the proposed half cent sales tax California consumers would have to spend $12,632,000 in taxable sales so the two college presidents can have their raises while turning away students.

Of course, this is all our fault as taxpayers. We’re not giving them enough money to run the system nor to attract top flight talent to run a public university.  It’s an affront that someone in academia has to settle for 10 percent when obviously those in private sector universities are making much, much more. We are told as much since CSU apologists say without competitive compensation packages we wouldn’t be able to attract and retain leaders of the state’s major universities.

Let’s say that is true. What is more important to students getting a sound education? Having an education CEO making calls just like their private sector financial brethren on Wall Street or the people actually teaching students? Apparently high quality professors are dispensable so giving them pay raises to keep them from jumping ship wouldn’t matter.

The “attract and retain” argument to justify big pay raises in a down economy and an era of perennial budget shortfalls shows just how much contempt the CSU higher echelon has for Californians in general. If someone needs more than $270,000 along with a $60,000 housing allowance, and a $12,000 vehicle allowance, let them jump ship. Who needs them anyway?

They obviously didn’t see The Great Recession coming. They obviously have no grasp of the economy or the political situation. And they certainly lack the vision, innovation, and skill sets to deal with people to get them to change business as usual so their universities can cope with trying to survive and thrive with less money.

If they had come up with a way to deliver education more effectively without slashing enrollment and hiking tuition then one could make a solid argument they deserve increased compensation.

But all they are are glorified caretakers.

They are simply the top cog in management at the respective institutions that belong to the people of California.

The CSU system is a poster child for what is wrong with government. They have spent years doing the same old thing year in and year out when it comes to how university level education is delivered.

It may be a thankless job but if that was the criteria for what someone makes we’d be paying municipal workers who have to clean out wastewater treatment plant sledge ponds more than we would someone who has a cushy office with a job description that requires them to say “give-me, give-me” to Sacramento instead of trying to find innovative ways to maximize money their campuses receive.

Go ahead and slash CSU president salaries to $250,000 a year. See how many leave. And then see if there are up and coming applicants who will demean themselves by taking a top college job for such a minuscule salary.



This column is the opinion of managing editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Bulletin or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.  He can be contacted at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com or 209-249-3519.