Lewis‑Clark State College cites enrollment, pay gap and new programs as budget priorities

Lewis‑Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton told Idaho’s Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 27 that the college’s FY2025 base appropriation and tuition treatment leave gaps the institution is asking the Legislature to address.

Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark — which the analyst reported serves 3,881 students — is relying on a mix of state appropriations, tuition and endowment distributions. “We are North Idaho’s health care education leader,” she said, noting nursing and allied‑health programs as enrollment and workforce priorities.

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, gave the committee a multi‑year budget overview and explained how tuition and fees are reappropriated between fiscal years. Campbell said the college’s FY2025 base appropriation is about $41.7 million and that, for FY2024, Lewis‑Clark’s total appropriation was $40,517,100 while tuition and fee revenue in that year was about $23.7 million and was reappropriated into FY2025. Campbell also described the Normal School (endowment) fund and said Idaho code governs distributions to beneficiary institutions.

Why it matters: Lewis‑Clark serves a high share of Pell‑eligible and first‑generation students and runs career‑technical and workforce programs that county employers rely on. Funding shortfalls or continued pay disparities could affect recruitment and program capacity.

Key details and committee discussion

- Enrollment workload adjustment (EWA): Campbell and Pemberton described EWA as a three‑year weighted credit‑hour formula that can either add or subtract funds for institutions. Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark’s average weighting is about 1.85 versus 2.51 at sister institutions, and that the college will see a $102,500 reduction in FY2026 due to the formula. She said that differential largely reflects graduate‑level and higher‑weighted course production at other institutions.

- Operational capacity enhancements (OCE/CEC): Campbell and Pemberton reviewed recent enhancements and how Lewis‑Clark used prior funds. Pemberton said the college used enhancements to pay occupancy costs for the Schweitzer Career Technical Engineering Building, to fund custodial and IT needs, and to expand marketing. She said LC State received $440,200 in OCE for FY2025 and requested $287,000 this biennium primarily for compensation (CEC). Pemberton told the committee the college needs about $1.2 million to move staff and faculty toward mid‑point market pay.

- LAUNCH and workforce impact: Pemberton said about 240 students received LAUNCH funds in the fall, many in career‑technical education; some industrial programs reported double‑digit enrollment gains. She said LAUNCH supported apprentices completing programs that led directly to jobs.

- Prison education expansion: Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark completed federal and accreditor approvals to convert an experimental Pell‑eligible prison education program into a full prison education program and is serving nearly 200 incarcerated students at multiple sites.

- Salaries and competitive pay: Pemberton told members an LC State instructor earns roughly $9,000 less on average than K‑12 counterparts and an assistant professor about $3,777 less, and she said the college is trying to close that gap.

Committee requests and next steps

Committee members asked for cross‑institution salary comparisons and enrollment metrics. Campbell said he is preparing a statewide salary compilation for the eight public institutions; Pemberton said she would provide LC State‑specific salary data. Members were directed to the legislative budget book for comparative metrics.

Ending

Pemberton closed by emphasizing Lewis‑Clark’s mission as a small, teaching‑focused public college and a regional workforce driver, and requested continued legislative support to maintain operations and address salary gaps. "We need you. We value you. We appreciate you," she said.