WHEREAS, Sandra March has decided that she will not seek re-election to her position as teacher-member of the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of the City of New York, and
WHEREAS, she has performed in an outspoken and extraordinary manner in that position for over 30 years, and
WHEREAS, the UFT has now been given the very difficult task of selecting a person to follow her in that position which is so important to the lives of all UFT members, and
WHEREAS, Debra Penny is a distinguished educator who has served in our New York City classrooms for over 34 years, teaching children with special needs, as well as a variety of common branch and enrichment programs, and
WHEREAS, Debra has developed her skills as a union leader, serving as chapter leader of her school and working at the UFT Borough Office as a Pension Specialist providing hundreds of our members with retirement information and pension consultations, then leaving the classroom to work as an Educational Liaison with the UFT Teacher Center, assisting new members and providing them with information necessary to navigate the Department of Education, and
WHEREAS, Debra continued to hone her union skills, serving as full time UFT Special Representative and Political Action Coordinator for Staten Island and is currently the Borough Representative of Staten Island, responsible for protecting and empowering Staten Island members, as well as, organizing and enlisting member participation in union and educational events, and
WHEREAS, Debra serves on the UFT Executive Board, is a delegate to AFT, NEA and NYSUT Representative Assemblies and is a NYSUT Board of Director, and
WHEREAS, Debra’s ability and long-standing dedication has been recognized with the Trachtenberg Award, Marsh/Raimo Award, Smallheiser Award and the David Wittes Award which is named after the architect of our pension system, and
WHEREAS, Debra has the complete confidence of the three teacher-members of the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of the City of New York, Sandra March, Tom Brown, and David Kazansky; therefore let it be
RESOLVED, that the UFT endorse Debra Penny for election as a teacher- member of the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of the City of New York for a three-year term beginning in 2016.