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Lewis‑Clark State College asks Legislature for targeted operational support as enrollment shifts
Summary
Lewis‑Clark State College officials told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that the college’s budget is sensitive to enrollment and formula changes; leaders highlighted LAUNCH funding impacts, prison‑education expansion and a continuing faculty pay gap tied to the EWA formula.
Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented Lewis‑Clark State College’s budget to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 27, outlining the college’s revenue mix and a number of requested enhancements for FY 2026.
Lewis‑Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton told the committee the college serves about 3,881 students and that tuition and fees are a material source of revenue that must be reappropriated across fiscal years. "The EWA is a weighted credit hour formula ... it is a net 0," Pemberton said, adding that the formula has produced mostly neutral or negative impacts for LC State because of the college’s mix of course types and relatively low graduate credit production.
The college’s base general‑fund appropriation for FY 2025 was presented as roughly $41.7 million; Campbell said the FY 2024 appropriation was about $40,517,100 and that tuition and fee receipts in FY 2024 were about $23.7 million and were reappropriated into FY 2025. Campbell also noted endowment and normal‑school fund distributions are governed by Idaho code.
Why it matters: LC State leaders emphasized that the college’s role as Idaho’s small public four‑year institution makes enrollment swings and the enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) especially consequential for faculty compensation and operations. Pemberton said LC State’s average credit‑hour weighting is about 1.85 compared with a peer average of 2.51, a gap she said depresses LC State’s formula outcomes and contributes to a faculty‑pay gap with other public institutions and K‑12.
On student support and workforce development, Pemberton said the LAUNCH program has had a measurable effect: about 240 individual students received LAUNCH funds in the fall, with a disproportionate share in career‑technical education programs. She said career‑technical enrollment rose 19% in fall and another 10% in the spring, and that LAUNCH helped apprentices and program completers move into the workforce.
Pemberton described LC State as the region’s health‑education hub, listing nursing, physical‑ and occupational‑therapy assistant programs, dental hygiene, radiographic sciences and allied health pathways. She said LC State has expanded prison‑education offerings; the college has completed federal, state and accreditor reviews and is serving nearly 200 incarcerated learners at sites including Orofino, Pocatello and Boise.
On compensation and operating needs, the college reported it used recent operational capacity enhancement funds to cover occupancy costs for a new Schweitzer Career Technical Engineering Building, IT needs and marketing; Pemberton said the college still faces a significant faculty and staff salary gap. LC State requested about $287,000 in the current enhancement package to make progress on compensation; Pemberton said the college would need roughly $1.2 million to close the gap to K‑12 medians.
Committee members pressed for data on enrollment trends, financial metrics and the mechanics of EWA. Representative Petzke and others noted LC State’s multi‑year enrollment decline during the pandemic and Pemberton responded the college’s enrollment is now stabilizing and growing modestly (she cited a 2.4% increase in fall and a 9% increase in spring in recent reporting). Vice President for Finance Julie Cray explained year‑to‑year movement in net‑position metrics can reflect capital project timing and one‑time items; she told the committee FY 2024 had fewer capital projects than prior years.
The committee did not take any formal action on the college’s request during the hearing. The presentation will return in follow‑up budget hearings and committee staff said they will compile comparative salary data for all eight public institutions for committee use.
Ending note: LC State officials framed the request as targeted, modest investments to retain staff, sustain new facilities and preserve the college’s role as a small, affordable four‑year option for Idaho students.
