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FAC members warn CSU budget plan leans on one‑time reserves despite large deficits
Summary
Faculty Advisory Committee members said Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) presented a small legislative funding request and plans to rely heavily on internal reserves and spending reductions to cover forecast deficits for fiscal years 2026–27, raising concerns about long‑term sustainability and staffing declines.
Members of the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) reviewed the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system’s presentation to the Higher Education Financial Sustainability Advisory Board and flagged concerns that current budget choices trade short‑term stability for long‑term risk.
The FAC said the system office requested roughly $23 million for fiscal 2026 and $21.6 million for fiscal 2027 while reporting projected deficits of about $151.3 million in fiscal 2026 and $156.7 million in fiscal 2027. The system plans to cover much of the gap by drawing down approximately $95 million from CT State reserves each year and pursuing additional expenditure reductions.
Committee members said the fiscal strategy raises sustainability concerns because the reserves identified are one‑time resources that will not be replenished. Several FAC participants also noted that the system reported a 4.4% enrollment increase from fall 2023 to fall 2024 while staffing has fallen across categories since 2019 — roughly a 9% drop in full‑time faculty, an 8% drop in full‑time staff, a 17% drop in part‑time faculty and a 22% drop in part‑time staff — and said that cutting permanent services to close recurring shortfalls is risky.
One FAC member said the system ‘‘has chosen to deal with [deficits] internally’’ by relying on reserves and limited legislative asks rather than requesting the full amount the system identified as its need. Committee participants discussed whether the system office’s posture reflects political constraints at the governor’s office and observed that the chancellor’s public position could be affected by political pressure.
FAC members asked for more direct engagement with legislative leaders and urged the committee to press for fuller disclosure of the deficit picture and clearer advocacy for restoration of recurring state support. Several members said they planned to raise the issue in FAC’s forthcoming report to the legislature.
The committee also discussed that while the system markets its public benefits successfully, that marketing has not translated into requests for the full funding the system’s deficit figures imply. FAC members stressed the difference between one‑time reserve use and recurring operating revenue, and said long‑term staffing and program stability depend on recurring funding.
Meeting business: at the start of the FAC meeting a motion to approve the January agenda (with the December minutes removed from the agenda) was moved and seconded and approved without objection.
