Billions of dollars are needed to fully repair, maintain and renovate academic buildings and facilities across the 23 campuses in the California State University system, according to a legislative report.
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This story was originally published by EdSource.
But that is money that the system, and the state, don’t have readily available. Meanwhile, some students have complained about unbearable heat waves in classrooms without air conditioning and canceled classes due to flooded buildings.
What we know about needed repairs
A Legislative Analyst Office report published last month warned that capital renewal in the CSU, such as replacing roofs and heating systems and updating air conditioning systems, would require $3.1 billion over the next 10 years. That’s in addition to a $6.5 billion backlog of regular maintenance left undone that has continued to grow.
The report also highlighted an even larger need in the University of California system, where it projected $12 billion will be required over the next 10 years and that the 10-campus system had a $7.3 billion backlog.
The LAO said neither the university systems nor the Legislature had a plan in place to address growing capital needs.
“Some campuses designate little, if any, ongoing funding from their base budgets for capital renewal, instead relying heavily on one-time state funding to address backlogs. State funding has been episodic, with large amounts provided in some years and none in other years,” according to the LAO report.
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