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North Idaho College reports strong enrollment rebound, says EWA cut will reduce base by $446,800
Summary
At a JFAC hearing, North Idaho College President Nick Swayne and Legislative Services analyst Kevin Campbell said recent enrollment increases have not yet translated into higher base-state funding because the Enrollment Workload Adjustment (EWA) formula produced an ongoing reduction of $446,800 for FY2026.
Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented an overview of North Idaho College’s base budget and told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that the EWA formula results in an ongoing reduction of $446,800 for NIC’s FY2026 maintenance budget.
President Nick Swayne of North Idaho College said the college has reversed a long enrollment decline and reported roughly 15–15.5% increases in both the fall and spring terms; he said the college enrolled about 571 new students on campus this spring alone. Swayne told the committee the trailing-average nature of the EWA formula means rapid recent growth can still produce a budget reduction because the formula uses prior years’ credit-hour averages.
Why it matters: NIC’s testimony highlights a tension between sudden enrollment growth and formulaic budget adjustments tied to historical averages. Committee members focused on which student categories were driving the growth (dual credit, transfer, CTE) and on program-level capacity constraints—particularly in nursing, welding and public-safety training.
Swayne described several capacity needs and requests. NIC seeks funds to add five nursing faculty (clinical and classroom) to grow intake in nursing from about 40 students per semester to roughly 60, a 50% increase; Swayne said the college had a waiting list of 77 applicants for nursing and that recent initial funding allowed the college to accept more students than it otherwise could. He said NIC also wants a welding instructor to expand first-year cohorts (which currently lose students to immediate hiring after year one) and greater cybersecurity resources: NIC’s cybersecurity spending rose from roughly $250,000 a year to more than $500,000 a year as the college faces increasing cyber-defense needs.
Swayne also addressed accreditation. He said NIC was placed on “show cause” in February 2023, and as of the night before the hearing the college had been moved off show cause and placed on probation; he said the status change reflects progress but that staffing stability and recruitment remain challenges in a high cost-of-living area and in competition with nearby institutions.
On local funding and facilities, Swayne said NIC’s tax authority is limited to Kootenai County; he described outreach centers in Sandpoint and other locations that offer many of the same student services as the main campus, and he said the college operates 15 Head Start programs across North Idaho.
NIC asked the committee to consider holding the college harmless for the EWA cut and to support the governor’s proposed capacity-building investments so the college can hire faculty and reduce wait lists. No formal committee vote occurred at the hearing; NIC presented its budget request and answered committee questions.
