Lewis‑Clark State College details budget pressure, credits LAUNCH and prison‑education gains

Lewis‑Clark State College President Dr. Cynthia Pemberton told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 27 that the college — which enrolls about 3,881 students — expects a $102,500 reduction under the enrollment workload adjustment for fiscal 2026 and is seeking operational capacity enhancement funding to make progress on competitive employee compensation.

The college presented its FY‑25 base budget at $41,700,000 in General Fund appropriations, Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee. Campbell also explained how tuition and fee revenue is reappropriated between fiscal years and noted the Normal School Endowment Fund and student tuition/fees fund as significant non‑General Fund elements of the institution’s finances.

Why it matters: Lewis‑Clark is Idaho’s public small four‑year college and depends more heavily than some institutions on state appropriations and tuition. Changes in the enrollment‑weighting formula (the EWA) and on competitive employee compensation (CEC) affect the college’s ability to staff programs that feed regional workforce needs, college officials told the committee.

Budget details and requests

Campbell said the college’s FY‑24 total appropriation was $40,517,100 and that in FY‑24 the institution recorded roughly $23,700,000 in…