A Reynolds High School special education teacher and a Centennial Middle School social studies teacher are mounting separate bids to unseat Oregon Education Association President Enrique Farrera, putting east-side Portland educators at the center of a power struggle inside the state's largest teachers union.

Stephen Siegel of Reynolds High in Troutdale and Eric McGuire of Centennial Middle in Gresham both told The Oregonian/OregonLive they plan to challenge Farrera for his second two-year term.

The paper reported Wednesday, Aug. 12, that Farrera could face at least three challengers. A third potential candidate, Mount Hood Community College ceramics professor John Hasegawa, serves on the OEA's 35-member board of directors but did not respond to requests for comment.

The race matters locally because the OEA shapes bargaining strategy for affiliates including the Portland Association of Teachers, which represents more than 4,000 PPS educators. Portland teachers were considering an unusual one-year contract deal in May that would offer roughly a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026-27, setting up a full negotiation next year. The new OEA president takes office in July 2027.

An activist faction flexes

Both Siegel and McGuire align with a faction that wants the union to adopt a more strike-ready, anti-capitalist posture and push harder for state school funding. In a press release announcing his run, McGuire took aim at "corporate, status-quo candidates and their policies … proactive to influence education policy, not reactive to those pretending to be friends of education."

McGuire serves on OEA's legislative advisory council and is married to state Rep. Lesly Muñoz, a Woodburn Democrat who also works as an OEA labor organizer. Both are members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Siegel, a two-term former OEA regional vice president, won the endorsement of Oregon Educators United, a splinter group that has called for a more aggressive, bottom-up approach to revenue reform and class-size negotiations.

The activist energy isn't confined to the statewide race. PAT president Alisha Chavez wore a T-shirt reading "QEM or Strike!" at a recent Salem lobbying day, according to OregonLive reporting on the state's school-funding debate. Oregon's Quality Education Commission recommended Aug. 7 that the state school fund reach at least $13.8 billion for 2027-29, a 42% jump over the current $11.3 billion allocation.

Executive director in 'limbo'

The turmoil extends beyond the presidency. OEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson told The Oregonian/OregonLive her contract is under scrutiny by board members. She said she was in "limbo" and expected to learn more about her future by the end of the week.

Nelson said she was proud of her nearly five-year tenure, during which she helped stabilize an organization that had run a significant deficit, and advocated for rising school investments including a record $11.4 billion in the current biennium.

The vice-presidential seat is also contested: equity director Monica Weathersby is challenging incumbent Lindsay Ray, the former Beaverton Education Association president.

Former OEA President Reed Scott-Schwalbach said contested elections make for a "stronger democratic system," but OregonLive's review of previous union handbooks suggests it is unusual for more than one challenger to seek the presidency at once.

All candidates must file official paperwork in early 2027. Winners take office in July, just as Portland teachers head into full contract bargaining with PPS.