As the North Carolina Chamber fights for pro-jobs legislation at the state capital, our team uses North Carolina Vision 2030 as a lens to ensure each bill is based around strengthening the four Pillars of a Secure Future: Education and Talent Supply, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Infrastructure and Growth Leadership.

Education and talent development is the key to our state’s future, our children’s futures and economic growth. Legislative initiatives passed this year that protect high academic standards to prepare each student with critical thinking and problem solving skills for the workplaces of tomorrow, and increase teacher pay to make North Carolina more competitive in attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers.

The below education and talent supply victories are critical to your business, as they work to prepare our students for real-world, 21st century jobs:

• Turning Back the Clock on Education… Not So Fast!
  Up against national opposition and widely spread misinformation, the NC Chamber actively fought this session to protect high academic standards that prepare each student with critical thinking and problem solving skills for the workplaces of tomorrow. Through the HIRE Standards, NC coalition, we joined with our state’s military, teachers, business leaders, police chiefs, parents, local chambers of commerce and others throughout the state to ensure North Carolina remained committed to high levels of learning necessary for our children to succeed. Senate Bill 812 was signed into law and brings greater predictability and certainty to North Carolina teachers, students and job creators by keeping the current higher standards in place while a standards review commission researches and provides revisions, which can retain elements of Common Core State Standards, in part or full, as a basis for future standards. To learn more about our continued efforts here, visit www.HireStandardsNC.org.
• Attracting and Retaining Our Best Teachers
  The business community recognizes the integral role teachers have in preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow and we cannot afford to lose them to other states; therefore, teaching must be an attractive career path in North Carolina. The NC Chamber supported the budget initiative to increase teacher pay by an average 7 percent to make North Carolina more competitive in attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers. Additionally, the budget will increase early-career teacher pay by 14 percent over the next two years to $35,000, making teaching a more attractive career option for our youth. The proposed teacher pay plan will move North Carolina from 46th to 32nd in national teacher pay rankings.

Check out this year’s edition of NC Chamber Wins for Business for top 2013-14 pro-jobs legislative victories and the 2015 JOBS Agenda to keep North Carolina growing!

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber