Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools recently began planning three new elementary school buildings. These developments, which will replace existing buildings, are meant to create contemporary, spacious classrooms for students and staff and lessen operational inefficiencies. The planning began after a $300 million bond referendum was approved to pay for facility improvements at CHCCS and Orange County schools.
While some refurbishments and renovations are needed, North Carolina has a deep-rooted teacher problem — a problem that’s only getting worse.
In November, the state legislature passed a bill allocating more than $450 million for private school vouchers and only $95 million for public schools. More recently, the Trump administration cut tens of millions of dollars in grants; this money had been used across the state to hire, pay and train teachers. The grants often worked to identify and promote highly effective teachers, meaning a decline in exceptional and well-trained instructors and educators as a whole.
In the 2022-23 school year, there were 6,006 teacher vacancies in North Carolina public schools on the 40th day of school, an increase from under 1,700 in 2019-20. CHCCS faced a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year, necessitating teachers to manage larger class sizes or even teach additional courses they may not be trained in.
Increasing teacher attrition, or turnover, also plagues the North Carolina education system. CHCCS had an attrition rate of 7.5 percent in 2022, which rose to 11 percent the following year. As attrition rates rise, schools are forced to hire teachers who are not fully licensed. A little over 11 percent of teachers in North Carolina were not fully licensed in the 2022-23 school year, compared to just 6.7 percent in 2021-22. This often leads to inexperienced teachers who struggle to balance obtaining certification while being a teacher in the classroom.
It’s very possible that our state will suffer even more as President Donald Trump works to undermine and debilitate the Department of Education. In North Carolina, over 20,000 teacher jobs and $1.1 billion in funding would be at risk if there were limitations placed on the department.
With an already existing and worsening problem surrounding hiring and keeping quality teachers, reduced funding and the uncertain future of the Department of Education, school systems in North Carolina must be more intentional with how they are spending their money. Now, more than ever, is the time to invest in teachers.
More than just increasing teacher salaries, investing in educators means providing support, training, necessary classroom resources and development. When teachers are paid well, feel prepared for their job, have the materials they need and are backed by their administrators, they are more likely to stay in their position and do it well.
CHCCS is not wrong for wanting to provide their students and staff with updated buildings. However, in the current state of North Carolina and the nation, rebuilding and repairing isn’t the number one priority in public schools. As nice as it would be to have new classrooms, money shouldn’t be spent on building elementary schools when we don’t have enough teachers, or when we are at risk of losing thousands more in the near future. What’s the point of having a shiny, new school if there is no one to teach in it?