Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton made a budget presentation to the joint budget committee Tuesday, in which she pressed lawmakers about the need for additional state funds.
Pemberton, who took the reins at LCSC in 2018, said the school is facing a “perfect storm” of challenges, including rising prices, declining enrollment and higher employee turnover. After a minor enrollment increase in the fall of 2020, Pemberton said, LCSC saw a 2.8% decrease in 2021 and expects spring enrollment to be down by 3% to 4%. Besides a direct loss of tuition revenue, that decrease also negatively affects state funding.
Pemberton noted that Gov. Brad Little’s fiscal 2023 budget recommendation includes a $168,500 reduction in state support because of the fall enrollment decline. The governor is also recommending a 5% salary increase for state employees next year, but his budget only provides about half the money colleges and universities need to pay for the increase. That funding gap represents another $830,000 shortfall for LCSC, Pemberton said.
To backfill the $168,500 cut and pay for the full 5% employee salary increase, she said, LCSC would need to bump tuition up by 5.5% this fall, or $384 per year. (Lewiston Tribune)
