Wright State issues layoff notices: 5 things to know

» INITIAL REPORT: Wright State to start issuing layoff notices to 26 employees this week

Here are five things to know about the most recent layoffs at Wright State.

1. How many people are being laid off at WSU?

The university will be issuing 26 layoff notices to employees this week and next week, said spokesman Jim Hannah.

In June, president Cheryl Schrader said that as many as 40 employees could be terminated but that number shrunk because of already vacant positions.

WSU employs 3,346 people including around 824 full-time faculty and 1,311 full-time staff, according to the university.

2. When will the layoffs take effect?

Affected employees will be notified this week and next week, according to an email sent to faculty and staff by Wright State’s Human Resources Department that was obtained by this news organization.

Once employees are notified that they will be laid off, Wright State will allow them to search for a new job “during work hours,” according to the human resources email.

3. Wait, didn’t Wright State already lay off employees?

The short answer is yes. This latest round of layoffs marks the third time in less than two years that WSU has laid off some of its employees.

When trustees slashed more than $30.8 million from last year’s budget, they planned to lay off around 120 employees but attrition allowed administrators to shrink that number to around 47.

In October 2016, Wright State laid off 23 employees as the university began to grapple with its budget crisis.

4. Why are layoffs happening now at WSU?

Wright State is still dealing with fallout from its budget crisis.

Wright State spent more money than it generated from fiscal year 2012 through fiscal year 2017, depleting the school’s reserve fund.

Last year trustees slashed more than $30 million from the school’s fiscal year 2018 budget. But, shrinking revenues forced the university to slash even more spending that ended up totalling around $50 million, according to WSU.

The university is expecting another $10-million decline in revenue in fiscal year 2019, mostly caused by expected decreases in enrollment.

5. Is WSU offering any help to laid off employees?

Wright State will offer affected employees career counseling, resume assistance and contacts for unemployment benefits among other things, according to the email.

Employees who are laid off and their dependents will also be eligible for tuition remission for up to two years, according to WSU.

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