College of Southern Idaho asks legislature for capacity funding as enrollment surges

College of Southern Idaho President Dr. L. Dean Fisher told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Oct. 12 that the college experienced a 20% enrollment increase in fall 2024 and needs additional instructors and infrastructure to sustain that growth.

The request centers on a FY2026 enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) request of $475,700 that CSI submitted in its budget book. Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented the college’s base-budget background to the committee and noted that state appropriations to Idaho’s community colleges are made as a single “trustee” appropriation rather than by object category. Campbell also reminded members the colleges trace to the Junior College Act and Title 33, Chapter 21 of the Idaho Code and that the State Board of Education’s EWA formula can increase or decrease institutions’ budgets based on a three‑year average of weighted credit hours.

Why it matters: CSI leaders said the recent enrollment jump has outpaced existing faculty and facility capacity and that, without additional staffing and one‑time infrastructure funds, the college cannot sustain expanded instruction, clinical placements or specialized CTE classrooms.

Fisher said CSI added about 3,800 students to its annual numbers since fall 2021 and enrolled 16,586 unique students in credit-bearing courses in 2023–24. Fall‑to‑spring retention at the college was reported at 85%, above a cited national average of about 60%.

Specific capacity pressures and requests

- Nursing and allied health: Fisher and committee members discussed nursing capacity limits driven by clinical‑supervision requirements and a common 10:1 student‑to‑instructor ratio in clinical settings. Fisher said nursing programs and other clinical CTE programs face both faculty and clinical‑placement constraints.

- Radiologic technology: Fisher gave a concrete example: a radiologic tech cohort that admits 15 students annually while maintaining a waiting list of 84. He said the college needs both learning‑space equipment and additional faculty to expand that program.

- Welding and other CTE programs: CSI reported running welding cohorts from early morning through late evening to meet demand and relying on part‑time instructors; additional faculty and instructional space would ease that scheduling strain.

- Veterinary technology: Fisher said CSI’s accredited veterinary‑technology program is currently sized for 40 students (20 first‑year, 20 second‑year) based on accreditation limits tied to one faculty veterinarian and two technicians, and that the college could double capacity with funding for facilities and ongoing staffing.

Budget context and pay parity

Campbell told the committee CSI typically spends its full state appropriation; the transcript records CSI’s single trustee appropriation in 2024 as $18,600,000. Fisher said the community colleges have mixed funding sources — property taxes levied by college trustee boards, tuition and fees set by trustees but capped by the legislature, and annual state appropriations — and emphasized that pay for community‑college faculty and staff lags regional community‑college peers by roughly 12% in the Mountain States Association of Community Colleges comparisons. He said an estimated $400,000 would be needed to close faculty pay gaps to K‑12 levels in the college’s view, and that staff positions such as mental‑health counselors and financial‑aid advisors also trail regional peers.

Fisher recommended the committee support the governor’s proposed capacity‑building funding for CTE and the one‑time infrastructure allocation (he referenced a $15,000,000 one‑time proposal for learning‑space needs) and urged continued work on bringing community‑college faculty and staff toward parity with peers.

Programs and student supports

Fisher highlighted CSI’s retention and affordability efforts, including a Bridge‑to‑Success program the college scaled from 40 to about 500 students and a move to open educational resources that he said cut textbook costs by roughly 50%.

What the college asked the committee to do

Fisher asked legislators for support for the governor’s CTE and capacity initiative, continued attention to faculty/staff pay parity, and one‑time funds to expand specialized learning spaces. He also described the college’s FY2026 EWA request of $475,700.

Ending

Committee members asked clarification questions but did not take formal votes during the session. Campbell and Fisher remained available to follow up on specific budget figures and program waiting‑list details.