North Idaho College presses for capacity funding as enrollment rebounds, accreditation moves to probation

Summary

North Idaho College told JFAC that enrollment is up (about 15% reported), but the EWA formula would cut state funding by roughly $446,800; NIC requested funding to add nursing and welding faculty and sought relief from the trailing EWA calculation while reporting it has moved from "show cause" into probation with its accreditor.

North Idaho College officials told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that a recent enrollment rebound has created urgent training and faculty needs even as the state’s enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) formula would reduce NIC’s ongoing appropriation.

Kevin Campbell, a Legislative Services Office analyst, summarized NIC’s budget history and noted the FY2026 EWA result produces an ongoing reduction of $446,800. "In FY 2026, the EWA formula results in an ongoing reduction of $446,800," Campbell said.

President Nick Swayne said the college’s fall and spring enrollments rose about 15% and that the EWA reduction is a painful lagging effect of a trailing-average formula. "The challenge with EWA is that it's a trailing average ... so while your numbers go down, it helps you. But when your numbers turn around, it hurts you because it's still cutting you," Swayne said, adding NIC saw a 15%–15.5% increase in fall and spring and reported 571 new students on…

North Idaho College presses for capacity funding as enrollment rebounds, accreditation moves to probation

Summary

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