By Isabella Torregiani
5:37pm PDT, Jul 16, 2025
_
The president of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the U.S., is criticizing the Supreme Court for siding with President
Donald Trump in a decision affecting public education. The high court previously ruled that the Trump administration could proceed with laying off more than 1,300 employees at the Department of Education.
Keep reading for the details… MORE:
Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
_
NEA President Becky Pringle issued a statement in response to the ruling, saying, "Everyone who cares about America's students and public schools should be appalled by the Supreme Court's premature intervention in this case today, which stays preliminary relief ordered by the lower courts. … Parents, educators, and community leaders won't be silent as Donald Trump and his allies take a wrecking ball to public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America." Despite the decision, Pringle vows to "organize, advocate, and mobilize until all students have the opportunity to attend the well-resourced public schools where they can thrive."
_
The Supreme Court's judgement comes amid President Donald Trump's broader plan to dismantle the department of education. The ruling pauses a lower court order that had reinstated roughly 1,400 department employees who were previously laid off. Earlier this year, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that half of the department's workforce would be cut as part of the administration's efforts to reduce federal involvement in education. Shortly after the layoffs, Trump signed an executive order declaring his intention to shut down the department entirely.
_
In a statement following the Supreme Court ruling, Linda McMahon praised the decision. She said the agency can now "carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to return education back to the states." The Education Secretary added on X, "While today's ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Donald Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution."
