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College of Western Idaho describes rapid enrollment growth, cites capacity limits and a capped enrollment workload adjustment
Summary
College of Western Idaho told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it is experiencing double‑digit academic enrollment growth and widespread program waitlists, while the statewide Enrollment Workload Adjustment was reduced by a 3% cap to $265,000 for CWI.
Gordon Jones, president of the College of Western Idaho, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that the college is experiencing strong enrollment growth and emerging capacity constraints as it seeks state funding for instructional and student‑support needs.
Jones said CWI posted roughly 13% academic enrollment growth this year and that the institution now educates tens of thousands of Idahoans. “We are up this year 13% in our academic enrollment,” Jones said. He told the committee the college reported nearly 22,000 for‑credit students and served more than 30,000 students in the 2023–24 academic year; in other remarks he referenced “31,000 individuals” as the total served (all figures as reported to the committee).
Why it matters: committee members pressed CWI on where growth is concentrated and how state funding formulas are affecting the college. CWI staff said career and technical education (CTE) and dual‑credit remain strong growth areas, with nursing, automotive technology, welding, cybersecurity and agricultural sciences singled out as programs that have waiting lists. Jones said the college has nearly 100 students on its nursing waiting list and about 1,000 students on program wait lists across campus.
State funding details: Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized CWI’s FY 2026 base budget request and enhancements. Jones explained that the Enrollment Workload Adjustment (EWA) would have produced a larger amount under the formula but that a 3% cap applied under State Board policy reduced CWI’s ongoing EWA addition to $265,000 for FY 2026. “For us, it would have been $493,000 but, because of a 3% cap, you’re seeing the amount that we were able to put in,” Jones said, describing how the cap and required placements for health‑care employer costs and compensation adjustments limit the EWA amount that effectively reaches CWI.
Committee follow‑up: Representatives and co‑chairs asked CWI to provide a breakdown of capacity constraints—facility limits, instructor ratios (accrediting rules for programs such as nursing), and student‑support staffing—so JFAC staff can evaluate budget requests. A committee member asked for details about which programs are driving wait lists and which positions EWA funds would support; the committee requested the college provide that information to Kevin Campbell for the work group.
Context and concluding remarks: Jones highlighted CWI’s affordability—he said no two‑year degree at CWI costs more than $10,000—and framed community colleges as a high‑value, lean sector of state higher education. He urged the committee to consider structural funding decisions across higher education, noting that in FY 2025 the legislature allocated substantially more general fund support to four‑year institutions than to community colleges despite community colleges serving a larger share of in‑state students, a point he raised for context as JFAC evaluates funding priorities.
