BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Western Washington University (WWU) has announced more job cuts as the school grapples with an $18 million budget deficit.

WWU President Sabah Randhawa announced in an email on Monday morning that the school will eliminate 74 staff positions, primarily in administrative and support units. That’s up from the 55 positions the school announced it was cutting last fall.

According to Randhawa, nearly half of the positions are currently vacant, while Human Resources is notifying the 38 employees who are being let go.

He says the school has now instituted or identified just over $13 million in recurring cost reductions.

The university says additional job cuts are still possible as it tries to find more avenues to address the remaining $5 million gap. WWU attributes its $18 million annual deficit due to lingering revenue shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic, insufficient state funding and general inflation.

It adds that there is additional uncertainty surrounding its future operating budget as state lawmakers continue to work on funding allocations during the legislative session.

The announcement comes days after Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed a nearly $7.5 million cut to WWU’s funding over the next two years.