Lewis‑Clark State College urges salary funding, touts LAUNCH and prison education at JFAC budget hearing

Lewis‑Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Monday, Jan. 27, that the college’s FY 2025 base appropriation is $41,700,000 and that the institution is seeking additional operational capacity and salary funding to close a gap with K‑12 pay and to sustain recent program expansions.

Why it matters: Pemberton and the college’s budget analyst said modest state enhancements and reappropriated tuition revenue are essential to cover occupancy, staffing and targeted priorities such as competitive employee compensation (CEC). Lawmakers pressed college leaders for details on enrollment, the enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) formula and how one‑time enhancements were used.

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, opened the presentation by explaining revenue treatment for colleges and universities and by listing Lewis‑Clark’s budget drivers, including tuition reappropriation and endowment distributions. Campbell noted Lewis‑Clark had $23.7 million in tuition and fee revenue reappropriated into FY 2025 and called attention to the Normal School Endowment Fund distributions governed by Idaho Code (33‑304 as referenced in the presentation).

Pemberton described the…