Many of lawmakers' questions to State Board of Education President Paul Agidius focused on concern over rising costs for students to attend college in Idaho. But Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, asked him, "Earlier this year the board approved what I would consider significant salary increases for our university presidents. ... I'm sure they're worth every dime and more than that ... but it seems to fly in the face of our current economic conditions." Cameron asked Agidius to help him understand how to explain the salary increases to his constituents. "We do want to have the best qualified individuals we can have" in order to have a "quality institution," Agidius responded. Idaho competes nationally for its college presidents, he said. "We had to make a decision, what kind of individuals do we want to have head our institutions here in Idaho. ... That was our decision, that the citizens of Idaho would come out ahead."

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