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College of Eastern Idaho urges $2 million ongoing, warns CTE wait lists and campus capacity constrain regional workforce
Summary
College of Eastern Idaho President Lori Barber told JFAC CEI has expanded credit and workforce training sharply since 2017, is capacity constrained with hundreds of CTE applicants unable to enroll, and would use a portion of a $10 million CTE fund and a requested $2 million ongoing allotment to expand faculty, equipment and student supports.
Lori Barber, president of the College of Eastern Idaho, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that CEI has experienced rapid growth since 2017 and is running up against facility, faculty and equipment limits that are preventing the college from placing hundreds of applicants into career‑technical programs.
Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee CEI grew 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 students. Campbell said CEI’s FY2024 appropriation was $7,003,700 and that FY2025 appropriation rose to $7,700,000.
Why it matters: CEI argued that filling CTE and health‑care pipelines will require new instructors, updated equipment and expanded student support; the college asked the committee to consider a share of a statewide CTE funding pool and specifically requested at least $2,000,000 ongoing from the state to expand capacity.
Most important points
- Growth and demand: Barber said CEI’s…
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