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While the U.S. celebrates over the Fourth of July weekend, four candidates will be vying for the top post of the nation鈥檚 largest teachers union. The National Education Association鈥檚 leadership election will decide the replacement for President Becky Pringle and other officers during the union鈥檚 annual representative assembly from July 3 to 7 in Denver.

Pringle, a science teacher from Philadelphia, has managed the 2.8-million member labor organization since she was first elected president in 2020. She had previously served as vice president and secretary-treasurer. NEA leadership is limited to two three-year terms.聽

Among the four candidates competing for her spot are Princess Moss, current NEA vice president; Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association; Sean Spiller, former president of the New Jersey Education Association and past candidate for governor; and Tania Kappner, an Oakland Unified School District teacher. 

Below are background information for each candidate and their campaign goals. The NEA declined to comment about the upcoming election, and the candidates did not reply to interview requests from 91涩漫.

Princess Moss

Moss has been NEA鈥檚 vice president since she was elected with Pringle in 2020. She previously served as the union鈥檚 secretary-treasurer for six years, after a 21-year teaching . 

She entered the education field teaching music in Louisa County, Virginia, and served in leadership roles for the state teachers union. She was of the 62,000-member Virginia Education Association from 2005 to 2008.

鈥淢y vision centers on transforming our union from one that primarily mobilizes to one that continuously organizes 鈥� shifting power from centralized leadership to worksite teams, from reactive campaigns to a proactive infrastructure, from professional advocacy to professional authority,鈥� Moss said in a on her website. 鈥淚t is time for us to create a NEA where every member is an everyday organizer.鈥�

Among her accomplishments as NEA vice president, Moss joining educators on picket lines, improving membership engagement and increasing the number of bargaining units in Virginia.

The NEA says Moss 鈥渇ocuses special attention on increasing the ranks of new educators鈥� and is 鈥渁n outspoken, sought-after advocate on the topics of racial and social justice in education.鈥� It credits her for the passage of Virginia鈥檚 first for public employees in 2019.

鈥淧rincess believes in using every available tool 鈥� organizing, legal and legislative measures, the ballot box and collective action 鈥� to protect the rights of students and educators and protect public education,鈥� the union said in the statement.

Kate Dias

As president of the Connecticut Education Association since 2021, Dias helped overhaul the state鈥檚 , increase school funding and repeal federal rules eliminating for educators. The statewide teachers union has roughly 43,000 members.

This year, Senate Republicans over a social media about immigration enforcement in schools. But she has also received endorsements from politicians like Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who called Dias a 鈥渢houghtful, solution-driven leader and a trusted partner in our shared work to strengthen public education,鈥� according to her campaign .

Dias said on her website that as NEA president, she would advocate for a $60,000 starting salary for education support professionals; partner with historically Black colleges and universities to diversify the teacher pipeline; and mobilize NEA members to secure more district funding and block school privatization.

Dias taught high school math for 21 years, according to the Connecticut Education Association. Her most recent position was in a suburb of Hartford at Manchester HIgh School, where she taught geometry and college-level statistics. She was also president of the Manchester Education Association.

鈥淚 was in a classroom when COVID hit. Six years ago, I was like many of you, facing, 鈥楬ow am I going to teach math online? How do we come back from this?鈥� 鈥� she said in a recent . 鈥淎s you make a decision about who is going to be the next president of NEA, think about where we all were during COVID, and what we did and what we experienced. When was the last time each of us was in a classroom? I was in the classroom five years ago. My opponents haven鈥檛 been in the classroom for 10, 15, even 20 years. That matters.鈥�

Sean Spiller

Spiller was a science teacher in Kinnelon, New Jersey, before being elected president of the Wayne Education Association in 2007. He eventually moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where he became a councilman and then mayor. He held leadership positions for several years in the New Jersey Education Association, which represents 200,000 members, before he was in 2021.

Controversy has followed Spiller鈥檚 journey to his NEA presidential campaign. He was after the union funneled more than $40 million into his race for governor. The state teachers union the $40 million roughly one month before Spiller officially announced his candidacy.

鈥淲hen it鈥檚 one of our own, when it鈥檚 an educator, when it鈥檚 us, all of a sudden it鈥檚 a big story,鈥� Spiller told last summer when questioned about the donation.

At least two New Jersey teachers have since , alleging that member dues were used to support his campaign for governor even though the union said political action committee support was voluntary. During Spiller鈥檚 time as Montclair mayor, from 2020 to 2024, he also came under fire for he wasn鈥檛 entitled to. 

Spiller said on his that he believes the national teachers union needs to realign its budget to better support state affiliates. 

鈥淏y doing so, we strengthen our ability to mobilize our members and connect their work to the broader priorities and power of our union,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he moment we are in demands focus, unity and determination. Guiding our members and our profession through today鈥檚 challenges will require a comprehensive effort.鈥�

Tania Kappner

Kappner is listed as an eighth grade English and history teacher on the website of , a virtual academy within the Oakland Unified School District in California. She previously at Oakland Technical High School. In 2019, the , the University of California, Berkeley student newspaper, reported that Kappner was a member of the Oakland Education Association executive board. 

She鈥檚 been affiliated with  , a labor caucus that promoted her campaign for a spot on the NEA executive committee last year. An said Kappner is committed to a 鈥渕ass anti鈥恌ascist, pro鈥恈ivil rights, pro鈥恥nion movement that defies Trump鈥檚 fascist attacks and demands his immediate ouster.鈥� 

Kappner ran against Moss for NEA vice president in 2023. In a from the union鈥檚 annual representative assembly meeting that year, Kappner said she fights hard for the rights of members and students.

鈥淚 take on the Trump movement by fighting against racism, and for immigrant, LGBTQ and women鈥檚 rights,鈥� she said in the program. 鈥淚 mobilize intransigently to defend public education against privatization and union-busting. I鈥檓 running for NEA vice president because NEA must be a leader, not follow the politicians in the fight for public education.鈥�

She also participated in the Oakland Education Association strike in 2023. In a with KBOO Portland, Kappner said she鈥檚 always been a longtime union activist and has spent 30 years in Oakland Unified.

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