San Diego Unified School Board Trustee Shana Hazan sits down with Tony and a very special guest co-host, Tony’s wife Elizabeth Fitzsimons, to discuss what’s happening locally with the state’s second largest school district, and why it’s getting into the housing business and what that is expected to look like. 

Shana also discussed the importance of wellness in the classrooms, the Trump effect on education, her ambivalence for the White Lotus, working from home with a spouse who does the same, and more. When Shana is not caring for her two children or the tens of thousands who attend San Diego Unified schools, she works as a consultant for the company she owns and operates, Hazan Strategies, assisting non-profits, businesses and government agencies with development, strategy, planning, and more.

Elizabeth, who is CEO of Episcopal Community Services (ECS), asked Shana about federal funding and what the impacts would be in classrooms if President Trump eliminates the Department of Education. Elizabeth also shared that as CEO of ECS, she is grappling with the president’s proposal to eliminate Head Start, a federally-funded child development program designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children of very low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs to prepare them for elementary school.

“As you talk, Elizabeth, about the focus of Head Start on ending cycles of poverty, that commitment and that ethos is very much a part of my DNA and the family I came from. And in all of that is this belief that education is a critical piece of ending cycles of poverty, in addition to all the other things you described,” Shana said. 

She added: “So I come from San Diego, love San Diego, left, did a stint in the Midwest for about a decade, did my undergraduate and graduate studies there and worked in Chicago public schools and in the nonprofit world, and did some work with the Lieutenant Governor's office there. And then I came home to thaw out because it's a little chilly in places like Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin.”

Shana grew up in San Diego and is a fourth-generation San Diego Unified graduate. She studied political science at the University of Wisconsin (Elizabeth is a Wisconsin grad) and earned a master’s degree in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University. She lives in Kensington with her husband and two daughters, and she is currently serving in her first term as a school board member, an experience that is challenging and rewarding.

“I'm really lucky to be on the school board in San Diego Unified. This is a place where we believe in the beauty of diversity. We have students who come from dozens and dozens and dozens of different countries. I think we have nearly 70 languages spoken and dialects at our schools. And we love that diverse fabric. It really creates wonderful experiences for all of our students. And we lift those things up. We are welcoming, we are inclusive. And at a time when that isn't supported everywhere.”

She added: "A lot of people ask during these times, how does it feel to be in public education? And here in San Diego, it feels really good because we are staying true to our values and to the values that are the values of this entire community.”

The end of the episode takes listeners into rapid fire territory, and you won’t want to miss Shana’s responses to Elziabeth’s questions and Elizabeth’s response to Tony. The banter is not to be missed! Tune in now to check out this fun and informative episode of Dear San Diego.

To learn more about Shana or to ask her a question directly, visit her at: 

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• X: @ShanaHazan

Shana also offers office hours for San Diego Unified parents who want to meet with her.

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