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…