Today marks a pivotal moment in education leadership as Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias officially announced her intention to run for president of the National Education Association, positioning herself to lead the nation’s largest professional employee organization and advocate for more than three million educators across the country.
“I announced my intention to run for NEA president because I believe that in these unprecedented and challenging times, educators need a leader who will ensure their voices are not just heard but truly valued and acted upon,” Dias said. “Throughout my entire career, I have been unwavering in my advocacy for students, educators, and public education. I understand that when we empower teachers with the resources, support, and respect they deserve, we create the conditions where every student can succeed and truly thrive.”
Dias’s candidacy represents an opportunity to elevate the voices of educators nationwide and bring her proven leadership strategies to the association. Throughout her distinguished career as president of the Connecticut Education Association, Dias has emerged as a transformative leader whose impact extends far beyond state borders. Her strategic vision and unwavering commitment have positioned her as a powerful, knowledgeable, and dedicated advocate for students, teachers, and public education at every level. Under her leadership, CEA has successfully addressed numerous educational challenges while championing solutions that put students first and support educators in their vital work.
She has a proven track record of building coalitions, driving meaningful policy change, and fostering collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholder groups. Her expertise spans critical areas including educational equity, teacher retention and recruitment, school funding, and social justice issues. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to translate grassroots concerns into actionable policy solutions while maintaining the trust and respect of educators, administrators, policymakers, and community leaders.
Dias has championed increases in teacher salaries, fully funding public education, ensuring Social Security benefits for teachers, providing greater employment protections, and creating safe and healthy schools. Under her leadership, key legislative proposals enacted into state law have included a return to play-based learning, increased public school funding, improved school indoor air quality, 30-minute duty-free lunch, streamlined teacher evaluation, a professional standards board for teacher certification, a phaseout of EdTPA, a higher kindergarten start age, expanded scholarships to attract diverse educators, and more.
On the national level, Dias led the charge for a full repeal of WEP/GPO–the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset–two federal laws dating back 40 years that diminished or denied Social Security benefits for teachers and other municipal workers. The effort, in partnership with NEA and other state leaders, led to passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law in January 2025.
In announcing her intention to run for national office, Dias emphasized the importance of a balanced, thoughtful approach to issues of importance to the education community. Her deep knowledge, coupled with her strong values and dedication to public service, make her an ideal candidate to serve as the next president of the nation’s largest teachers union.
“If elected, I will continue to build on important education initiatives—strengthening public education, investing in educator professional development, and ensuring every student has access to high-quality opportunities regardless of their ZIP code or background. But we must go further: we’ll empower educators and school staff by supporting their right to organize, bolstering collective bargaining rights, and partnering to improve working conditions and invest in our schools. By elevating labor voices in education policy, we’re affirming that student success begins with investing in those who teach them.”
Dias is a veteran geometry and college-level statistics teacher at Manchester High School and has worked with adult learners in the math department at Manchester Community College. In addition, she chaired her district’s Curriculum Committee and Professional Development Committee, served on its Equity Team, and led its Professional Development and Evaluation Committee. She began her career in an alternative education program, working with students at risk of dropping out. In this program, she says, she learned firsthand the value of interpersonal connections.
She serves on several Connecticut task forces and commissions on important issues such as school discipline, teacher certification, school accountability, and efforts around recruitment and retention. Collaboration with members, partner organizations, and state agencies has been a key attribute of her administration and has led to many policy-related
successes.
Dias has also served CEA in many capacities, including as a member of the Board of Directors, Equity Task Force, Resolutions Committee, and Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development Committee; as a CEA and NEA Representative Assembly delegate; and as a presenter at the NEA Leadership Summit and the CEA Summer Leadership Institute. She earned her master’s degree from UConn, a bachelor of science from Northeastern University in Boston, and math certification through the State of Connecticut Alternative Route to Certification program.
