Sandra Feldman, who served as the leader of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, passed away on September 18 at the age of 65. During her tenure, she successfully recruited numerous new members to the union and played a significant role in shaping the No Child Left Behind Act at the federal level.
Feldman, the former president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), had to retire in May of the previous year due to breast cancer. She had spent seven years leading the union, which consisted of 1.3 million members. Prior to her role in the AFT, she had also served as president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, the largest local teachers’ union in the country. In fact, she had succeeded the renowned Albert F. Shanker in both of these positions.
Before her stint at the national level, Feldman had been the president of the New York City union for a decade. In May 1997, she was elected as the head of the AFT, becoming the first woman to hold this position since 1930. Her appointment came at a time when dissatisfaction with urban schools was growing, and she became a devoted advocate for educational equality for underprivileged and minority children who made up a significant portion of urban school enrollments.
Feldman’s passing was deeply mourned by the AFT and its members. AFT President Edward J. McElroy expressed his grief, stating that her death was a tremendous loss, both personally and professionally, for the union and the nation’s children. Many influential figures, including senators, members of Congress, educators, and business leaders, sought her expertise and ideas to shape their own perspectives on helping those who were most in need.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who had consulted with Feldman on the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, hailed her as one of the greatest and most effective champions of equal educational opportunities for all children that the nation had ever seen.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Feldman initially worked as a teacher for 2nd and 3rd graders in a public school in New York City before devoting herself full-time to the city union. She was highly regarded as an expert in urban education and passionately advocated for improved early-childhood education programs, believing that they were crucial to ensuring children’s success in school.
In addition to her role as AFT president, Feldman served as a vice president of Education International, a global organization that brings together teachers’ unions worldwide. She was also a member of the executive committee of the AFL-CIO.
She is survived by her husband, Arthur Barnes, who holds a senior vice president position at HIP Health Plans. She is also survived by her brother, Larry Abramowitz, who resides in New York City, and her sister, Helen Berliner, who lives in Wylie, Texas.
