The University of the District of Columbia is preparing for wide-scale layoffs, as school officials say the District’s employee protections prevent them from axing employees they have accumulated over the last four decades. The “bloat” of employees, as one official described the situation, and relatively level funding from the District, has put the city’s only public university in financial straits. Mayor Vincent Gray is offering UDC $64.9 million for fiscal 2013, a $1.2 million increase over last year but substantially less than the $85.1 million the university is requesting as its community college takes steps toward independence under its budget.

District lawmakers recently voted to reprogram $6.1 million in city savings to bail out UDC.