Idaho should have a governor who sees education as an investment in the future and who will protect that investment in good times and bad.

The numbers are hard to ignore. According to the College Board’s September 2010 report, “Education Pays,” 4.6 percent of 25-year-olds with a college degree were unemployed in 2009, compared with 9.7 percent of those with only a high school education. Over a 40-year work life, the average college graduate earns 66 percent more than a high school grad.

Why do these numbers matter in Idaho? Because only 49 percent of our high school graduates start college, ranking us near the bottom in the nation. Fewer yet go on to complete a four-year degree.

We have to do better. But we won’t without a governor who understands that if you want to do something about unemployment in the future, you have to invest in education now. That means you build the coalitions to support the tough decisions, and you don’t cut K-12 and higher education funding.

I have confidence that Keith Allred is looking at the long term. He has shown he can build the coalitions. He will make and protect the investment.

Charles Graham

Moscow