State records show Chicago State University paid out $2.2 million in severance and unused vacation payments after mass layoffs amid a budget crisis.

The school paid $1.6 million in severance to about 50 administrators, an amount equal to salaries they would have received if they hadn’t been terminated, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The school spent $650,000 more to pay about 130 administrators and civilian service employees for unused vacation time. The newspaper obtained the records via a public information request.

The state university has let go of nearly 400 employees since the beginning of the year, or about 40 percent of its staff.

The severance and vacation payouts were necessary because of a long-standing school policy requiring up to a year’s notice of being terminated or a payout for the time.

Records show the school had about $7.3 million in cash at the end of April. The university depends on state money for about 30 percent of its operational budget. It was hit hard due to the recent state budget stalemate.