Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Episode: The Republican Dismantling of Public Education
Release Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Stacey Abrams
Guests: Christina Rojas (Speech-Language Pathologist), Becky Pringle (President, National Education Association), Sharia Smith (Union President, Dept. of Education Employees)
Brief Overview
In this episode, Stacey Abrams delves into the escalating attacks on public education, focusing on recent Republican-led initiatives that include massive funding cuts, the dismantling of key federal education programs, and the targeting of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). The episode features educators and union leaders on the frontlines, revealing on-the-ground consequences, the broader stakes for democracy, and tangible ways listeners can fight back.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The State of Public Education under Attack
[02:00] Stacey Abrams:
- Public education is a bedrock of democracy.
- The Supreme Court allowed Republicans to slash the Department of Education by nearly 50%.
- Cuts impact class sizes, special education, job training, and free meal programs, especially harming the most vulnerable.
"If you strip the government of its ability to serve the people, it’s easy to convince folks that it simply doesn’t work." — Stacey Abrams [05:30]
- Republicans’ broader strategy: break public trust in government, beginning with schools.
2. Realities on the Ground: A Speech Pathologist’s Perspective
[07:36] Interview with Christina Rojas (Lancaster, PA)
- Rojas details the daily challenges of her classroom:
- Language Barriers: 4/20 students aren’t native English speakers; 2 are recent immigrants; 1 is a refugee.
- Trauma and Instability: Refugee students face trauma, absenteeism.
- Special Needs: 4/20 need special education.
- Poverty and Homelessness: 17/20 economically disadvantaged; at least 1 homeless.
- Academic Gaps: Over half the class is far behind in reading or math.
"I need to stand in front of a child in a school shooter situation, but also now I'm going to be expected to also stand in front of an ICE agent." – Christina Rojas [09:46]
- Emotional depletion for teachers: responsibility now includes shielding children from violence and raids.
- Chronic underfunding and staff shortages are compounded by policy attacks, stripping the resources needed to help all students.
3. The Attack on DEI and Special Education
[10:36] Abrams & Rojas Discussion on DEI
- DEI advances like Title I and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) transformed education for marginalized groups.
- Cuts undermine programs for English learners, disabled students, and vulnerable populations.
- Vouchers/private choice are siphoning public money to exclusive schools.
"Taxpayer funds should not follow discrimination." — Christina Rojas [12:57]
- Special education oversight shifted from Education to Health & Human Services, led by an anti-science secretary; this threatens data-driven support for neurodivergent students.
"Public schools work. What’s failing is our government... We are doing amazing things. Public schools work. What's failing is our government." — Christina Rojas [15:20]
4. The Experience and Emotional Toll on Educators
[17:53]
- Christina describes active shooter training (HERO: Hide, Escape, Run, Overcome), even for K-4 students—requiring children to defend themselves with thrown objects.
- Attacks on collective bargaining further erode teachers’ stability, compensation, and security.
"It's not about greedy teachers. We are buying food, clothes, sanitary napkins...because we want to, because we are here for the kids." – Christina Rojas [20:32]
5. Community Responsibility and Civic Engagement
[21:33] Call to Action from Rojas
- Importance of dialogue: “We need to talk to each other again and not give into the social media divide.”
- Parents and community must vote, attend school board meetings, and hold all representatives accountable—local school boards are especially crucial.
"People always want to blame the teacher...it is the school board who's making these decisions." – Christina Rojas [22:42]
- Direct experience matters: Rojas urges policymakers to substitute teach to see realities firsthand.
6. Technology, Children, and Learning
[23:56]
- Rojas urges limits on device usage for young children; oral language, conversation, and social skills are foundational for literacy and development.
- She advocates for concrete school board policies grounded in direct school experience.
"Our kids are not hearing the examples of their parents having a rational discourse...If we put the devices down, it would help us as a society." – Christina Rojas [25:06]
7. National Perspective: NEA and Department of Education Employees
[28:52] Panel with Becky Pringle & Sharia Smith
The Role of Public Education in Democracy
[30:42] Becky Pringle:
- Public education is fundamental to democracy; authoritarian regimes historically undermine it to control populations and stifle critical thinking.
- Unionists and educators play an essential role in exposing attacks and organizing resistance.
"They do not want a highly educated citizenry because they don't want people asking questions and becoming a discerning public." — Becky Pringle [32:10]
The Importance of the Department of Education
[33:32] Sharia Smith:
- Department provides funding and oversight, ensuring equity and investigating violations.
- Recent attacks have fired analysts, gutted oversight, enabling arbitrary and harmful decisions.
"If you are firing people who are providing the funding...that is an attack on the American people." — Sharia Smith [35:17]
The Need for Federal Oversight
[37:54] Pringle:
- Federal role crucial for equity—without it, states do not reliably protect marginalized students.
- Attacks on college funding and HBCUs threaten future teacher pipelines and access to higher education.
8. Specific Policy Impacts and Ongoing Harm
[44:30]
- Massive disruption and chaos from sudden $7 billion education cut, even after funds were released.
- New proposed 15% budget cut would further devastate classroom staffing and wraparound supports.
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress on educators and federal workers is a tactic to undermine morale and functioning.
"You can't undo that damage...It's deliberate. It still lingers." — Becky Pringle [49:07]
9. Human Stakes: Hunger and Vulnerable Students
[55:48]
- Loss of school meals: teachers witness hunger in the classroom firsthand, which undermines all efforts to teach or learn.
- Teachers personally fund basic needs for students, but cannot fill the systemic gaps left by government failures.
"I've been asking this question: who doesn't want to feed the babies? We know who doesn't want to feed the babies." – Becky Pringle [58:38]
10. ICE Raids and the Legal Response
[59:45]
- New Supreme Court decision allows ICE to stop and detain people based on language, ethnicity, and appearance—even near schools.
- This sets a precedent for unchecked, arbitrary enforcement that threatens basic rights for all.
- Unions are preparing to litigate and fight back.
"[Sotomayor:] 'We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job...I dissent.'" – Quoted by Becky Pringle [63:40]
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
| Quote | Speaker | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|-----------| | "If you strip the government of its ability to serve the people, it’s easy to convince folks that it simply doesn’t work." | Stacey Abrams | 05:30 | | "I need to stand in front of a child in a school shooter situation, but also...in front of an ICE agent." | Christina Rojas | 09:46 | | "Taxpayer funds should not follow discrimination." | Christina Rojas | 12:57 | | "Public schools work. What’s failing is our government." | Christina Rojas | 15:20 | | "It's not about greedy teachers. We are buying food, clothes, sanitary napkins...because we want to." | Christina Rojas | 20:32 | | "They do not want a highly educated citizenry because they don't want people asking questions." | Becky Pringle | 32:10 | | "If you are firing people who are providing the funding...that is an attack on the American people." | Sharia Smith | 35:17 | | "You can't undo that damage...It's deliberate. It still lingers." | Becky Pringle | 49:07 | | "Who doesn't want to feed the babies? We know who doesn't want to feed the babies." | Becky Pringle | 58:38 | | "[Sotomayor:] 'We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job... I dissent.'" | Quoted by Pringle | 63:40 |
Actionable Takeaways & Calls to Action
Abrams’ Concluding Homework and Advice [68:04]
- Be Curious: Educate yourself, read books like The Death and Life of the Great American School System.
- Solve Problems: Attend a school board meeting by December; advocate for children, even if you don’t have kids.
- Do Some Good: Support backpack food programs for food-insecure children (see feedingamerica.org).
- Demand Accountability: Hold local, state, and federal representatives responsible daily, not just at election time.
7 Verbs from NEA President Becky Pringle [64:19]
"Educate, communicate, organize, mobilize, litigate, legislate, elect—take action every day."
Sharia Smith’s Addendum [66:09]
- “Question everything and force the people who are being paid to represent you to actually represent you...They are supposed to work for you every day and you should absolutely make sure that they are doing their job.”
Memorable Moments
- The vivid “classroom snapshot” from Christina Rojas, detailing the complexity of teaching in an underfunded, underserved community.
- Rojas’s and Pringle’s emotional connections to public education: “Public school saved our lives.”
- The panel’s exposure of the planned, calculated dismantling of civil rights, public trust, and basic social supports—and their organizing to resist it.
- The urgency around direct civic action: calling, attending meetings, and telling personal stories.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Opening and Context – [01:58]
- Rojas on Class Conditions – [08:18]
- DEI Attack and Funding – [11:40]
- Special Education Oversight – [13:39]
- Union Rights and Teacher Burdens – [17:53]
- Technology and Learning – [23:56]
- Panel Introduction – [28:52]
- Public Education as Democracy’s Bedrock – [30:42]
- The Department of Education’s Mission – [33:32]
- Federal vs. State Power – [37:54]
- Consequences of Budget Cuts – [44:30]
- SNAP and Hunger in Schools – [55:48]
- ICE Raids and Constitutional Rights – [59:45]
- Seven Verbs for Civic Action – [64:19]
- Final Calls to Action – [66:09]
Tone & Language
- Passionate, urgent, and clear-eyed.
- Guests speak with authority, compassion, and — at times — righteous indignation.
- Abrams frames the stakes as existential for democracy and urges persistent, collective action.
For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode
This episode offers a trenchant, detailed exploration of how recent Republican policies are not just harming schools—they’re part of a larger project to break public trust, undermine democratic society, and target the most vulnerable. Lived experiences from classrooms, analysis from union leaders, and hard facts about policy impacts combine for a holistic call to action. The show’s concluding homework assigns everyone a role in defending public education, democracy’s foundation.
Recommended for anyone invested in education, democracy, or social justice—and looking for both practical tools and inspiration to act.