CWU President Bracing For Another $8-9 Million Cut

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Story Published: Nov 2, 2009 at 5:58 PM PST

By Sade Malloy

CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY -- The cost cutting continues for Central Washington University. The president is asking faculty and staff to work without pay again and though the goal is to prevent layoffs, it might be a lost cause. The University is bracing for another $8-9 million hit to the budget.

It's round two for voluntary leave without pay. This is the letter sent out on Friday asking faculty and staff to jump on board as soon as possible.

"Everybody is stressed and worried about their livelihood and some of them have spouses that are loosing their job," says Jim Gaudino, CWU President.

Central Washington University President, Jim Gaudino says this program is one way he's trying to prevent layoffs. Just four months ago the same program saved the university nearly $200,000. If the savings aren't as substantial as before, the President says the next step will be mandatory furloughs.

"We've already done the cutting that is starting to put pressure on faculty and staff," says Libby Street, Central Washington University.

The pressure just keeps piling up for Central, the university is bracing for another 8-9 million cut. The state's bad budget has the university losing $14 million over the next two years. But President Gaudino says he's received word from the Governor and Legislature that the supplemental budget is expected to cut deep into the school's funding once again.

"If we take a $8 million that'll put us down to $23 million, that's a 50% cut in two years," says Gaudino.

Those are cuts that would force the school to cut classes, and look at staff layoffs. The university is already using its reserve for this year's budget, leaving them nothing for next year.

"You can do a little bit of cutting and the edges and survive but $9 million would cut to the bone," says Street.

Saving a few hundred thousand here and there may not sound like much but when it comes saving jobs every penny counts.

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