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North Idaho College Faces EWA Cut Despite Enrollment Gains; Moves From Show Cause to Probation
Summary
North Idaho College told JFAC it recorded double-digit enrollment gains but faces an FY2026 Enrollment Workload Adjustment reduction of $446,800; the college also reported it moved off "show cause" and is now on probation with its accreditor and is seeking funding to expand nursing, welding and cybersecurity capacity.
North Idaho College (NIC) officials told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that the college’s enrollment rose sharply in 2024 but that the state’s Enrollment Workload Adjustment (EWA) formula will lower its FY2026 budget by $446,800, a result NIC President Dr. Nick Swayne described as a painful trailing-average effect.
Legislative Services Office analyst Kevin Campbell gave the committee a five-year appropriations overview and noted that appropriations to community colleges are made as a single trustee appropriation. Campbell’s materials showed a multi-year pattern of EWA changes for NIC; for FY2026 the EWA calculation produces an ongoing reduction of $446,800 in committee materials.
Dr. Swayne told JFAC the EWA functions as a trailing three-year average and can penalize institutions when enrollments rebound: "The challenge with EWA is that it's a trailing average," he said, adding that NIC was up about 15.5% in the fall and roughly 15% this spring. Swayne said NIC had added several hundred new students this academic year, citing "571 new students on campus this spring alone" as the college responds to increased demand.
NIC described targeted capacity needs tied to workforce shortages. The college has asked for additional faculty in nursing to expand intake from roughly 40 students per semester toward 60 and described clinical supervision and accreditation ratios (about 10-to-1 clinical supervision in some programs) as constraints requiring added instructional staff. NIC also cited demand for expanded welding instruction and rising cybersecurity costs: officials said cybersecurity protections and detection costs rose from about $250,000 annually to over $500,000.
On accreditation, Swayne told the committee NIC was placed on "show cause" in February 2023 and "as of last night, we are officially off show cause and in under probation," he said. He described retention and recruitment challenges tied to the show-cause period and to local cost-of-living and salary competitiveness, noting that prospective hires sometimes decline offers because of housing and pay concerns.
Other procedural and service details provided to the committee: NIC has taxing authority only in Kootenai County; the college operates outreach centers in Sandpoint and maintains other facilities in Rathdrum and Post Falls and supports Head Start and Area Agency on Aging programs across North Idaho. NIC said it has waiting lists in nursing (the college cited about 77 students on a waiting list this spring) and has used initial governor funding to slightly increase intake in the current cycle.
NIC asked JFAC to consider holding the college harmless for the EWA reduction and to support targeted capacity funding to hire faculty for nursing, welding expansion and additional cybersecurity protections. The college said prompt action would help address provider shortages in health care and avoid pushing students to costly private alternatives.
