CONTACT:
Kate Catlin
(919) 836-1414 (o)
(336) 214-6846 (c)

Meredith Archie
(919) 836-1422 (o)
(919) 271-4274 (c)

North Carolina Chamber Opposes Reducing Standards for Future Workforce
State Chamber of Commerce Does Not Support Uncertainty Created by
Repealing Common Core State Standards on July 1, 2014

RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina Chamber, the state’s largest, broad-based business advocacy
organization with 35,000 members who employ 1.26 million workers in North Carolina, opposes the
legislation proposed today by the Legislative Research Commission Joint Study Committee on Common
Core State Standards due to the uncertainty created by Section Three of the proposal. This section
states that the Common Core State Standards would be repealed as of July 1, 2014, putting us back at
standards that are not acceptable to the business community. Where does this leave the workforce of
tomorrow?

“Speaking on behalf of job creators, I can say with good authority that North Carolina’s current standards
are, in fact, a positive step toward preparing today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Lew Ebert,
president and CEO of the North Carolina Chamber. “Ultimately the decision we are making is whether we
want to grow our talent locally or hire it from out of state. North Carolina employers would prefer to hire
locally.”

To secure our state’s future as a leader in the modern economy, North Carolina must prepare our
children to succeed not only in the classroom, but in any community to which they choose to live. Today’s
proposal is not only a step backward for our classrooms but it is a step backward for our manufacturing
floors to the research labs and garages where the next big ideas are being born. North Carolina must
remain committed to high levels of learning that prepare each student with critical thinking and problem
solving skills for the workplaces of tomorrow.

About the North Carolina Chamber:
The North Carolina Chamber is a nonpartisan business advocacy organization that works in the
legislative, regulatory and political arenas to proactively drive positive change to ensure that North
Carolina is a leading place in the world to do business. Strengthening the state’s ability to attract, retain
and grow jobs is the Chamber’s highest priority. Central to that effort are four “Pillars of a Secure Future”
for North Carolina which include Education and Talent Supply, Business Climate, Entrepreneurship and
Innovation, and Infrastructure and Growth Leadership.

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