Idaho’s college and university presidents have agreed to a pay freeze.
With little discussion Wednesday afternoon, the State Board of Education extended three presidents’ contracts, rolling their salaries for 2025-26.
The presidents “proactively” proposed the freeze, board member Bill Gilbert said.
“They all felt that it was appropriate for them to hold their compensation level for this coming year,” Gilbert said.
The freezes come as Idaho’s budget seems to be heading into a cold snap — as tax collections fall short of projections, and as more than $450 million in tax cuts and tax credits go on the books.
Gov. Brad Little has ordered state agencies to prepare for the possibility of midyear budget cuts of 2%, 4% or 6%, and turn in only “maintenance” budget requests for 2026-27.
Those directives apply to higher education — which gets most of its money through a combination of general fund tax dollars and student fees and tuition. A “maintenance” budget translates into $397 million in general fund money for higher ed in 2026-27, up from $383.6 million. The added money would cover increased health care costs, and placeholder 1% raises for employees.
With Wednesday’s freezes, here’s how the president’s salaries stack up.
- University of Idaho President C. Scott Green: $479,192.
- Idaho State University President Robert Wagner: $420,000.
- Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton: $297,413.
- Boise State University Interim President Jeremiah Shinn: $449,000. He was hired in May, and his salary is also unchanged.
Board members held closed-door annual reviews with the presidents last week, and State Board President Kurt Liebich and Executive Director Jennifer White spoke individually with the presidents this week.
“The board is pleased with the leadership our presidents are providing,” Liebich said.
