College of Eastern Idaho tells JFAC rapid workforce growth outstrips capacity; requests share of CTE funds

College of Eastern Idaho President Lori Barber told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that the college has expanded quickly since it became a community college district in 2017 and is now constrained by facilities, faculty and equipment needed to meet employer demand.

Budget analyst Kevin Campbell opened the CEI presentation, citing a FY 2024 appropriation to CEI of $7,003,700 and noting the college’s growth from about 700 students (when it was Eastern Idaho Technical College) to roughly 3,600 degree‑seeking students and more than 14,000 workforce‑training participants. Barber said CEI’s workforce training unit is the largest in the state and that nursing enrollment capacity has expanded from 35 students in 2017 to the ability to accommodate about 220.

Barber asked lawmakers to support the session’s designated CTE funding and said that for CEI “an increase in our general fund allocation from that $10,000,000 of at least $2,000,000 ongoing would be absolutely transformational.” Barber described CEI’s immediate shortfalls as lack of instructional capacity, outdated equipment in some technical programs, and staff salaries below competing employers in the region.

Barber said CEI had 465 career‑and‑technical‑education (CTE) students in fall 2024 who wanted a seat in a CTE program but could not be placed. She said the college has equipment deficits in programs such as welding and mechatronics and that hiring instructors is difficult because private industry—which recruits CEI graduates—often pays substantially more.

Barber also provided a specific staff‑pay estimate: to bring 20 full‑time faculty up to the regional K‑12 average (reported in testimony as about $62,000) and to raise adjunct pay to be more comparable would require roughly $202,260. She described academic advisors and other student support staff as essential wraparound services needed to improve student completion and program throughput.

On partnerships, Barber said industry groups have helped expand capacity in some fields: Idaho National Laboratory provided instructors that allowed the college to nearly double cybersecurity enrollment, and a local automotive employer (Teton Toyota) helped develop a micro‑credential work‑study program for auto technicians.

Barber told the committee CEI’s physical campus first opened in 2007 with a facility sized for about 1,000 credit students; in fall 2024 the same physical footprint served just under 4,000 credit students while workforce training served about 14,000 people. She and legislators agreed the college’s short‑term need is capacity to serve employers seeking local talent.

Legislators pressed for details and Barber offered program‑level uses for enhancement funds: hiring science and math faculty to support CTE prerequisites, purchasing up‑to‑date welding and fabrication equipment, and expanding clinical and lab space for health‑care programs. CEI asked that the committee consider the $10,000,000 ongoing bucket for community/technical colleges and requested $2,000,000 of ongoing general fund support as transformational for CEI.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing. Analysts and CEI were asked to provide further documentation and cost breakdowns for proposed faculty hires, equipment needs and CTE expansions to inform appropriation decisions.

Barber closed by emphasizing CEI’s role in supplying local workforce talent and noting that state investment would help retain Idahoans in good‑paying local jobs.