‘Standing in the Gaps’

During her 2025 back-to-school tour last week, NEA President Becky Pringle visited schools and communities that are feeling the impact of an unprecedented assault on public education. Draconian budget cuts are dismantling key programs that help students learn and punitive immigration enforcement has terrorized schools across the country. Educators are resilient and are determined to protect their schools and students in what will be another extremely challenging school year.

On her tour, which included stops in Iowa, Arizona, and California, Pringle highlighted the critical work educators and their unions are doing—in partnership with other stakeholders—to meet their students‘ needs in the midst of these attacks. 

Visiting community resource centers and food pantries during each leg of the tour, Pringle presented them with checks totaling between $10,000 and $15,000. As the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history goes into effect, these centers are seeing increased demand. 

Food insecurity isn't the only crisis facing many students and their families. Raids and abductions by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have upended the lives of many immigrant students, instilling fear and anxiety as they attend school, a place that should always be a safe haven. Visiting the Roosevelt School District in South Phoenix on September 2, Pringle listened to school leaders about how they are keeping their students safe and secure under this threat. 

The following day in Alhambra, Calif., Pringle, along with representatives from the California Teachers Association (CTA), and Alhambra Teachers Association (ATA), visited the Dream Center at Alhambra High School, one of three in the district, all funded by the NEA. Dream Centers provide a wide array of support programs for immigrant students. 

“It is so important to create spaces where kids feel safe,” Pringle said. “I am so proud that NEA is partnering with CTA and ATA to bring these spaces to life.”