Lewis‑Clark State College budget presentation highlights enrollment, salary gap, career‑technical gains and prison‑education expansion

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 27 that Lewis‑Clark State College’s FY2025 base general fund appropriation is about $41.7 million and that the college reported roughly $23.7 million in tuition and fee revenue reappropriated from FY2024.

That revenue treatment, Campbell said, is standard in the college and university budget process because the academic year and the state fiscal year do not align precisely. He also identified endowment funds including the Normal School Income Fund, and said distributions and uses are specified in Idaho code (transcript reference: “code section 3,330 three‑three 304”).

The nut graf: The committee hearing centered on how statewide budget formulas and one‑time enhancements affect small, regionally focused institutions. Lewis‑Clark leaders told lawmakers the college is stabilizing enrollment after pandemic declines, using targeted state enhancements to cover occupancy and operational costs, and pressing for pay adjustments to close a measurable salary gap with K‑12 and peer institutions.

President Cynthia Pemberton, introduced the college’s…