A group of CEOs in North Carolina publicly expressed concerns about a growing teacher shortage and operating issues at some pre-K providers, which could hinder progress on early literacy, according to an April 11 announcement from analytics firm SAS.

The business leaders noted the need for early literacy to help children succeed both at school and in the workplace. Employee literacy is often linked to proficiency in elementary school years — even as early as in the pre-K years.

“As we strive toward a strong, sustainable economy that supports opportunities for all students, we must invest in things we know have long-lasting positive effects, like good teachers and NC Pre-K,” Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS, said in the statement.

“This requires making our state more competitive with others in the Southeast and continuing to expand access to our proven early learning program,” he said.

Goodnight — joined by major names at Honeywell, PNC Bank and AT&T North Carolina — shared a new report from the Business Roundtable that supports literacy initiatives, particularly as the third-grade reading level has dropped during the pandemic. The latest report provides an update to the Business Roundtable’s 2016 action plan to improve U.S. literacy rates.

The teacher shortage, for instance, threatens the progress with early literacy programs, the North Carolina leaders said. At the start of this school year, there were 5,540 teacher vacancies across the state, marking a 46% increase from the 2021-2022 school year. Many of the vacancies were in core elementary teaching positions in reading and math.

Fewer university students appear to be seeking a teaching degree as well. Between 2010 and 2020, enrollment in undergraduate education programs in the University of North Carolina System fell by 44%, and this year, there was a 24% decrease in the number of students seeking a teaching license.

A major part of the shortage is likely linked to teacher pay, the CEOs said, especially as other nearby states such as Alabama and Mississippi have recently increased pay. They called for state leaders to “increase teacher pay at a regionally competitive level” and “develop an overall long-term compensation structure that will help the state recruit and retain quality teachers for years to come.”

Read the full report here