RALEIGH (April 11, 2023) – Business leaders delivered a twofold message to state politicians Tuesday: North Carolina must expand its Pre-K program to build reading skills by 3rd grade. But we can’t do that unless we first solve the state’s teacher shortage. “It’s essential to the children of North Carolina, to North Carolina businesses and… READ MORE
House budget: Raises for teachers, but we can do better
RALEIGH (March 30, 2023) – The 2023-25 state budget rolled out this week by Republicans in the state House makes steps in the right direction on a number of fronts, but chiefly teacher pay. But this state can do better. It’s only the beginning in the budget process – the state Senate still needs to… READ MORE
Don Martin: Test Pathways, but give teachers raises
WINSTON-SALEM (March 8, 2023) – While there are always differing opinions about how much teachers should be paid, I believe most North Carolinians agree that having quality teachers in every classroom is important, our students need to perform better, and teachers should be paid more. I wrote a short piece for Higher Ed Works last… READ MORE
What to do with an extra $3B?
RALEIGH (March 1, 2023) – North Carolina will finish the current budget year with $3.25 billion – 10.7% – more revenue than it budgeted for the year, state economists reported last month. The consensus report from economists for the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office attributed the additional funds to a smaller-than-expected decline in individual… READ MORE
Our hopes for 2023
RALEIGH (January 4, 2022) – With the elections and the holidays behind us, Higher Ed Works has some hopes for the new year. North Carolina is not investing in public education to keep pace with its No. 1 business climate1 ranking. The state ranks 49th for the percentage of its gross domestic product it devotes… READ MORE
K-12: Symptoms of lousy pay
RALEIGH (September 29, 2022) – Imagine you’re a ninth-grade math teacher with 36 students in your class. Beyond the histrionics and hormones that rage at that age, just how much attention can you give each of those kids? Yet with thousands of empty teacher jobs across the state, such class sizes happen even in 2022… READ MORE
Where We Stand: Underfunded
RALEIGH (September 15, 2022) – North Carolina is on a roll winning new – and future-oriented – business. We’ve seen big job announcements over the past year from household names like Toyota, Apple and Google. We should be proud of that. Between the Triangle and the Triad, we see an emerging corridor that will focus… READ MORE
4,400 invisible teachers
RALEIGH (September 1, 2022) – More than 1.3 million students started the public school year in North Carolina this week. Yet more than 4,400 teachers who should have been at the front of those children’s classes weren’t there, because school officials couldn’t fill the vacancies. And 3,600 more teachers across the state still aren’t fully… READ MORE
Don Martin: A middle ground on teacher pay plan?
EDITOR’S NOTE: With school set to resume soon across North Carolina with thousands of teaching positions still vacant1 and a new pay plan being floated for K-12 teachers, Don Martin, retired superintendent of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, shares his views about the plan. WINSTON-SALEM (August 10, 2022) – In 2020, the Forsyth County Commissioners asked… READ MORE
Can No. 1 in business be No. 1 in education?
RALEIGH (July 21, 2022) – North Carolina won bragging rights last week when CNBC named it the No. 1 state in America for business. It’s an honor of which we should be proud. The network praised state leaders for putting aside sharp partisan divisions to present a united, bipartisan front when recruiting new business to… READ MORE