Senate Honors Sandra Feldman, Former President of American Federation of Teachers

On September 28, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 256) recognizing Sandra Feldman’s contributions to public education. Ms. Feldman passed away on September 18, 2005.

Sponsored by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• Sandra Feldman began her career as a fourth grade teacher at Public School 34 on the Lower East Side of New York City;
• After 20 years of service to New York City public schools, Ms. Feldman was elected president of the United Federation of Teachers in 1986;
• Ms. Feldman’s tenure as president was distinguished by her devotion to better working conditions for the teachers she represented;
• Ms. Feldman served as president of the American Federation of Teachers from 1997 until her retirement in 2004;
• Sandra Feldman was a tireless advocate for public education, working to improve accountability standards and provide increased resources to schools, increasing professional development to better equip teachers to instruct students, and using research-driven methods to redesign school programs; and
• Sandra Feldman was equally devoted to fighting against discrimination, raising the nursing shortage to national public awareness, advocating for smaller class sizes and patient-to-nurse ratios, and promoting increased benefits and compensation for workers.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said that “from her early days as a civil rights advocate, Sandy had an unshakeable sense of justice and fairness. Sandy did not just talk about helping teachers and their students she actually did it. While her career spanned more than four decades, Sandy’s commitment grew out of her early work in the civil rights movement. An advocate for civil rights and social justice, she was an activist in the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was her firsthand knowledge of the power of an excellent teacher that led Sandy to a lifetime of activism. Sandy understood the importance of quality public education and the wealth of opportunities it can unleash for every student, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.”