The rising cost of employee benefits combined with an expected drop in out-of-state tuition has resulted in a $14 million budget shortfall for the University of Idaho this fiscal year.
School officials say half that amount is due to higher costs for underlying services tied to employee benefits.
Some $5 million of the deficit is pegged to the drop in out-of-state tuition due to increased participation in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, which offers a large discount to students from other states, including Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, and others. Those students attend UofI at 150 percent of the resident rate, which is usually considerably less than normal non-resident tuition.
The remaining $2 million in the budget gap is attributed to an included buffer in case estimates come in higher than anticipated.
As a result of the spending hole, the university has handed down departmental budget cuts, with discretion on how they are implemented given to departmental heads. Actions include holding off on equipment maintenance and acquisition, and waiting to replace nonessential employees who recently left. (Lewiston Tribune)
