Lewis‑Clark State College asks for targeted funds to close faculty pay gap as enrollment stabilizes

At a Jan. 27 Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee hearing in Boise, Lewis‑Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton urged continued legislative support for operational capacity and compensation adjustments as the college’s enrollment stabilizes and workforce‑training programs expand.

Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark, which serves about 3,881 students, is seeing enrollment increases after pandemic declines and is “North Idaho’s health care education leader.” She told the committee the college used most recent operational capacity enhancements to finish occupancy costs for the Schweitzer Career and Technical Engineering Building, support information‑technology upgrades and expand marketing, and that the institution expects to use part of a requested enhancement to make progress on salary gaps.

The budget and policy analyst for the Legislative Services Office, Kevin Campbell, presented the college’s base budget figures and explained how tuition and fee revenue is reappropriated between fiscal years. He noted Lewis‑Clark’s FY2025 base appropriation and walked committee members through recent enhancements, endowment adjustments and the effect of the State Board of Education’s enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) formula.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed on pay, enrollment and formula funding that directly affect the college’s ability to recruit and retain faculty and meet regional workforce needs. Pemberton said the college is competitively behind peer institutions and asked for more funding to narrow that gap.

Key budget details and requests - Enrollment and scope: Campbell reported an enrollment of about 3,881 students. Pemberton described Lewis‑Clark as a mostly Idaho‑resident, high‑need student population, with roughly one‑third traditional college‑age students and two‑thirds nontraditional students. She said fall-to-spring enrollment was up 2.4% for fall and up 9% for spring in the most recent reporting period. - Recent enhancements: Campbell and Pemberton described a mix of enhancements used for combined replacement/occupancy/compensation items and one‑time operational needs. Lewis‑Clark’s FY2025 operational capacity enhancement (OCE) was reported at $440,200; other recent items included a $370,100 portion of a governor’s combined enhancement and smaller endowment adjustments. The college reported receiving $352,200 in endowment adjustments in FY2025 and an enrollment workload adjustment increase of $54,700 for the same year. - EWA impact: The enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) is a three‑year weighted credit‑hour formula that redistributes funding among institutions. Campbell said Lewis‑Clark will see a $102,500 reduction in FY2026 under the EWA. Pemberton and committee members discussed the formula and its longstanding design; Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark’s average credit‑hour weighting (about 1.85) is lower than sister institutions (about 2.51), a structural factor that has reduced formula outcomes for the college over decades. - Compensation gap: Pemberton and Dr. Julie Cray, vice president for finance and administration, described a measurable salary gap versus K‑12 peers and sister institutions. Using the most recent data the college provided, Pemberton said an LC State instructor earns about $9,000 less per year than the average K‑12 teacher and an assistant professor about $3,777 less. The college requested $287,000 in OCE to apply to competitive employee compensation (CEC) this cycle and indicated it needs approximately $1.2 million to substantially close the gap to median levels. - Use of OCE last year: Pemberton said the college used prior operational capacity enhancements to (1) finish occupancy and custodial staffing funding for the Schweitzer Career and Technical Engineering Building, (2) fund IT upgrades, and (3) increase marketing and recruitment resources.

Program and workforce developments - LAUNCH impact: Pemberton said about 240 students received LAUNCH funds this fall, many in career‑technical programs; she reported career‑technical enrollment up 19% in the fall and up another 10% in the spring. She gave apprenticeship and electrical program completion examples tied to LAUNCH supports. - Prison education: Pemberton said Lewis‑Clark completed federal and accreditor approvals to transition an experimental prison‑education program in Orofino into a permanent program, now serving nearly 200 incarcerated students at sites that include Orofino, Pocatello and Boise.

Committee questions and clarifications Committee members pressed for more granular salary comparables and for a clearer explanation of the EWA mechanics. Campbell said he and staff are compiling a salary comparison across the state’s eight public institutions. Pemberton said the college will provide LC‑specific compensation data to committee members and email follow‑up materials on enrollment and salary metrics.

Discussion versus action The hearing recorded discussion, data presentations and requests for follow‑up. There were no formal committee actions, votes or motions on Lewis‑Clark’s budget during the Jan. 27 session.

What’s next Pemberton asked the committee to consider funding that would further address the salary gap and sustain recent investments in facilities, IT and student supports. Committee members requested follow‑up materials on compensation comparisons and enrollment metrics.