College of Western Idaho tells JFAC enrollment climbed but capacity, staffing limit program growth

Gordon Jones, president of the College of Western Idaho, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that CWI has seen rapid enrollment growth and is constrained by classroom space, instructor ratios and student‑support staff.

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, opened the presentation by walking the committee through CWI’s base budget and request for FY2026. Campbell told the committee that the referendum creating the College of Western Idaho passed on 05/22/2007, that the first students enrolled in January 2009, and that the college reported “nearly 22,000” for‑credit students and “more than 30,000 students served” in the 2023–24 academic year in the legislative budget book.

Why it matters: Committee members asked whether the state’s enrollment workload adjustment (EWA) and a 3% State Board cap are keeping pace with CWI’s rapid growth and whether additional state funding is needed to expand career‑technical programs that feed Idaho employers.

Most important points

- Budget context: Campbell said the FY2024 appropriation to CWI was $20,816,700 and that CWI typically spends 100% of its state appropriation. He described five‑year average base‑budget growth of about 6.6% and noted FY2023 was an outlier with roughly 11% growth, including ongoing and one‑time items shown in the budget book.

- Enrollment and demand: Jones told the committee “we are up this year 13% in our academic enrollment.” He said demand is strongest in career‑technical education (CTE) and dual‑credit programs, and that “career technical would be one of the highest growth” areas. He reported program wait lists, saying “we have almost a hundred people on our nursing waiting list” and that “we have a 1,000 students total on wait lists across all of our programs.”

- Capacity constraints: Jones described three primary capacity limits: facility space, faculty (sometimes set by external accrediting ratios such as nursing), and support services such as academic advisors. He urged that all three must be addressed to convert applicants into completers.

- EWA and the 3% cap: Jones explained that the college’s EWA output was higher before application of a State Board 3% cap, saying “the EWA number...would have been $493,000 but, because of a 3% cap, you’re seeing the amount...$265,000.” Co Chair Horman noted that EWA is a State Board policy and not statute. Committee members asked staff for comparative EWA calculations across institutions.

- Uses of prior enhancements: Campbell noted FY2024 enhancements to CWI included $1.1 million for increased nursing and STEM capacity, outreach and additional compensation; FY2025 included ongoing and one‑time enhancements such as a $50,000 one‑time for peace officer standards and training.

Committee requests and next steps

- The committee asked President Jones to provide a breakout of capacity constraints (facility, faculty, support services) so staff can evaluate enhancement requests; Jones agreed to supply that data to Kevin Campbell.

- Committee members asked Department of Finance/DFM and Legislative Services Office staff for a detailed EWA spreadsheet showing how the 3% cap and other adjustments applied across institutions; staff agreed to provide that analysis.

Quotations

- “We are up this year 13% in our academic enrollment,” Gordon Jones said.

- “We have almost a hundred people on our nursing waiting list,” Jones said, adding that “we have a 1,000 students total on wait lists across all of our programs.”

- On the EWA calculation, Jones said the formula “would have been $493,000 but, because of a 3% cap, you’re seeing the amount...$265,000.”

Context and background

Campbell reminded the committee that appropriations to community colleges are made as trustee and benefit payments (no line‑item personnel or FTP caps) and that CWI generally spends its full appropriation except for ARPA‑era anomalies. Jones framed CWI as a “lean” institution (roughly $75 million to educate roughly 31,000 individuals, by his count) and said community colleges serve a high share of Idaho residents who attend college.

Ending

There were no formal committee votes on CWI funding at the hearing. Committee members left the presentation asking for the additional data on capacity and EWA calculations needed to evaluate enhancement or structural changes in the upcoming budget work group sessions.