New NEA President Plans to Break the Union's Habit of Picking Sides

Princess Moss took charge of the National Education Association this week with a directive for its members: talk about students, not party labels. "Don't make it a Democrat or Republican issue," she said. The NEA represents 3 million teachers and public workers across every state.

Moss arrives as schools face several pressures at once. Inflation has pushed up school budgets, a federal education tax credit directing money to private schools starts in January, and the Trump administration is dismantling the Department of Education. "Public education is under attack," she said. "Our students are under attack."

She wants the union to become what she calls its own political authority. "Meaning that we're not aligning ourselves with a political party," Moss said. That breaks from recent practice: the NEA recommended Joe Biden in 2020 and formally endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024.

Moss grew up in Spotsylvania County in rural Virginia, the daughter of two school bus drivers. Her second-grade teacher, Lucy T. Lewis, told her she was smart in 1968 even after Moss misspelled refrigerator in front of the class. "I wanted to be just like Mrs. Lewis," Moss said. She spent more than 20 years as an elementary school music teacher in a neighboring county.

Her union career moved through Virginia first. She led the Virginia Education Association from 2004 to 2008, then advanced through the NEA. In Virginia, she worked with a Democratic governor and a Republican-controlled general assembly to build cross-party coalitions around public education. Her three-year presidential term begins with the midterm elections approaching.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Fordham Institute, called the shift a huge departure for an organization that has been a stalwart supporter of the Democratic Party. He also said he is open to watching how this year plays out, given that many state-level races lean toward the union's traditional allies. "This is going to put the unions in a very good position to be able to drive education policy," Petrilli said.

Moss said she will work with officials from any party. "The bottom line is that we will work with those who want to put public education first," she said, "no matter what the political party, no matter what your inclination." She also told members to focus on classroom needs: "What do your students need?"

The union's decision-making role is on the line as well. "We are the experts," Moss said. "We want to be at the decision-making tables."