Gov. Lynch met today with members of a House Education Committee studying his dropout proposal. He also spoke about increasing New Hampshire's graduation rate to members of the Nashua Rotary.

"Education is all about opportunity. The opportunity we give young people to get better jobs and live better lives. For our state to compete and for our children to succeed, more of New Hampshire´s young people must graduate from high school. And we can help make that happen," Gov. Lynch said.

"We should make our state's goal a high school diploma for every student. That is why I ask you to support this legislation and change the law to require our children to stay in school until age 18," he said.

A recent study by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies estimates that 20 percent of New Hampshire students do not finish high school.

New Hampshire established its compulsory attendance age at age 16 in 1903. Gov. Lynch is proposing to increase it to 18, along with supporting more alternative programs.

"What made sense in 1903, doesn´t make sense in 2006. In 1903, students could leave school at 16 and get good jobs at mills or farms. That´s just not true any longer. A high school diploma is the minimum price of admission for a better job and a better life," Gov. Lynch said. "This is about giving New Hampshire's children the opportunities they need to succeed. But it is also about the economic future of our state."

Gov. Lynch said in meetings across the state business leaders have told him that one of the chief impediments to their future growth is the lack of skilled workers. "They need students who have at least a high school - if not more - education. I´m determined to make sure that New Hampshire has the skilled workforce that will keep our businesses here and attract new companies here."

Gov. Lynch also pointed out that New Hampshire pays high costs in other areas for the numbers of dropouts. Nearly 80 percent of prisoners in America are high school dropouts. Dropouts are twice as likely to be on welfare. Rates of teen pregnancy, substance abuse and crime are significantly higher among dropouts. A study by Polecon Research of Dover concluded that the cost to the state´s Medicaid program alone of high school dropouts is nearly $45 million a year.

And high school dropouts will have fewer jobs open to them, and will earn significantly less throughout their lives then people with high school diplomas. Polecon´s study also concluded that wages and salaries of dropouts are relatively stagnant throughout their lifetimes. For every year they age, the wages for high school graduates will increase by an average of $641. The wages of high school dropouts increase by about only $60 for every year they age.

In addition, Gov. Lynch said he would propose his budget additional funding to support alternative programs for students who do not do well in the traditional classroom environment.

"Together, these steps will give our students the help they need to graduate from high school and the opportunities they deserve to succeed," Gov. Lynch said.