A Conversation with David Kazansky - Educator, Unionist, Three-Term NYC TRS Trustee

About this episode

Daniel interviews David Kazansky about his experiences as an educator and union activist, focusing on pension governance and member oversight.

Daniel was joined by David Kazansky — longtime New York City public school educator, union activist, pension advocate, and former three-term Teachers’ Retirement System trustee. This is part 1 of a 2 part interview with Kazansky. Over nearly three decades in the classroom and years in union leadership, David has built a reputation as a detailed, independent voice on pension governance and member oversight. He served on the TRS board from 2015 to 2024, chairing and co-chairing key committees, pushing for transparency around fees, alternative investments, and fiduciary responsibility. At a time when debates over private equity, divestment, Tier 6 reform, and trustee independence are front and center, David argues that pension governance shouldn’t be insider politics — it should be about protecting members’ retirement security.

People in this episode

Host: Daniel

Guest: David Kazansky

Topics covered

• education
• pension governance
• union activism
• retirement security

Keywords

• New York City
• Teachers’ Retirement System
• transparency
• fiduciary responsibility

Mentioned in this episode

Places: New York City

More episodes of Talk Out of School

• Why opting out of NY State tests is still important & why recess should be required · April 21, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Results of Ed Week's national survey of teachers · April 3, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Controversial bills to restrict protests around schools and churches. · March 13, 2026 · 1h 0m
• A CONVERSATION WITH DISTRICT 3 PARENTS: CHALLENGING NYCPS UTILIZATION PROPOSALS · March 2, 2026 · 59 min
• Interview with Sen. Liu plus testimony from parents & advocates on Mayoral control · February 19, 2026 · 1h 0m
• The risks of using AI in the classroom · January 27, 2026 · 1h 0m