Melissa Ramos named new NYC Schools chancellor after David Banks' retirement
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The next New York City schools chancellor was officially announced as Melissa Ramos at a Bronx school on Wednesday afternoon.
It comes after Chancellor David Banks announced on Tuesday he would retire at the end of the calendar year after nearly 40 years of public service to NYC schools.
Ramos will take over the reins from Banks starting Jan. 1 -- and she is no stranger to the city or the Adams administration after climbing the ranks over the last 17 years.
She is the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader in New York City Public Schools. Ramos has worked with the Department of Education for nearly two decades in several roles - from classroom teacher, to assistant principal, to principal, to deputy superintendent, to the schools chancellor's chief of staff and then to deputy chancellor.
She previously worked for Banks as his chief of staff before he appointed her to the position.
"Becoming the chancellor for nation's largest school district is the ultimate job for a lifelong educator," Ramos said. "As a former teacher and a mom of a public-school student, I believe strongly in our work and in maintaining stability through this transition. Under my leadership, we will continue to strengthen our supports for students with disabilities and multilingual learners, improve our city's literacy and math proficiency rates, help our older students forge pathways to a bright future, and keep our schools safe. I am so grateful for Chancellor Banks' leadership, and I thank Mayor Adams for entrusting me with continuing the work that began under his tenure."
Mayor Eric Adams said Ramos is a lifelong educator who possesses a fierce commitment to public education.
"I thank Chancellor Banks for his tireless dedication to New York City families and what we have accomplished together over the last nearly three years," Adams said. "From transforming how our kids read, to increasing math and graduation scores, instituting nation-leading universal dyslexia screenings, and dramatically expanding access to early childhood education, amongst other major achievements, we have delivered for New York City families under Chancellor Banks and we look forward to that continued leadership under Chancellor Aviles-Ramos."
Banks said he has been talking to the mayor about stepping down since "probably the early summer." He called retiring at the end of the school year "a romantic notion" but said after 40 years he is "out of gas."
The shakeup comes amid a flurry of investigations into the Adams administration.
As Banks steps aside from the role he has held for nearly three years, a federal corruption investigation is underway that led to agents seize his devices, those of his partner First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and his two brothers Deputy Mayor Philip Banks and Terence Banks.
Banks' departure is now added to a list of other high-ranking officials that have announced they will leave their post in the Adams administration.
That includes Police Commissioner Edward Caban, Adams' chief counsel Lisa Zornberg, and just this week Adams' health commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced he too would leave. There is no indication that Vasan is involved in any investigation.
Adams weighed in on the revolving door of exits.
"They come, they serve, they produce a great quality product, and then you go on," Adams said. "You know, being in government and being inundated constantly, it wears on you. And I think the right for people, when they finish the time they want to serve to do something else, that's excellent."
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