Sean Spiller falls short in bid to lead national teachers union

Former New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller lost his bid for president of the National Education Association after finishing third.

Delegates instead backed Princess Moss, the current NEA vice president and a longtime Virginia educator, in a contest to replace outgoing President Becky Pringle.  She won 50.3% of the vote, just narrowly avoiding a runoff against Kate Dias, the president of the Connecticut Education Association.

Tania Kappner, a teacher from California, finished fourth.  Roughly 5,800 delegates participated in the election at the NEA’s national convention in Denver.

The New Jersey Education Association did not endorse a candidate in the presidential race.

A former mayor of Montclair, Spiller entered the race in July 2025, a month after losing a bid for the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey.

In last year’s primary, Spiller finished fifth in a field of six candidates with 10.6% of the vote in a race Mikie Sherrill won with 34%.  A lawsuit alleges that Spiller misused union dues to fund his $40 million gubernatorial campaign.

Spiller is finishing a year-long sabbatical that goes to outgoing NJEA officials.  It’s not immediately clear if he will return to his job as a science teacher in Wayne in the fall.