NEW YORK (WABC) — According to sources, a successor to the post of New York City schools chancellor has been chosen after David Banks announced his plans to retire at the end of the year.
According to sources, Melissa Aviles-Ramos will be NYC’s next schools chancellor.
The announcement will be made on Wednesday.
The announcement of Banks’ resignation on Tuesday came amid a federal investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ administration that led to the seizure of Banks’ phone about three weeks ago.
He is the fourth senior member of the Adams administration to leave office in recent weeks. They include Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who is also under investigation by federal authorities, the mayor’s chief counsel Lisa Zornberg, who said she could no longer defend the mayor, and city health officer Ashwin Vasan, who said Monday he would retire at the end of the year. But there is no indication he is under investigation.
According to a letter to City Hall obtained by ABC News, Banks will retire at the end of the calendar year after serving the city’s public schools for nearly 40 years.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished during my tenure, and I will always cherish the opportunity to work with such dedicated professionals to shape the future of education in our great city,” his letter states. “We have overcome many challenges and made significant progress in improving the educational landscape for our students, families, and educators. Together, we have laid the foundation for every child to read, expanded special education, and promoted gifted education. & talent programs, improved school meals, welcomed over 45,000 immigrant students, and through a series of innovative partnerships ensured that all students have a path to rewarding careers and long-term economic security upon graduation, empowering them to be a positive force for change.”
In his statement, Banks said: “At our meeting earlier this year, I informed you that I intend to retire at the end of this calendar year after ensuring the school year got off to a good start.”
Banks’ plans to retire were not public knowledge. Here’s what he said 11 days ago.
“We will all wait and see where these investigations lead. Otherwise, I am very, very focused on my work.”
Tuesday’s letter suggests the decision was in the works before the federal investigation into the Adams administration. But in recent weeks, the home Banks shares with Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright was raided by federal investigators who seized his phone.
Banks’ two brothers are also involved in the investigation, which involves collusion in the bidding of city contracts and the enforcement of nightlife laws for bars and clubs.
The Chancellor’s letter goes on to say that he will do everything he can to ensure a smooth transition to the next Chancellor.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan also submitted his resignation on Monday and will leave office at the end of the year. He says he is leaving the post for personal reasons and not because of the ongoing federal investigation into the Adams administration.
Adams issued the following statement on Banks’ resignation:
“I am immensely grateful and proud of the work accomplished in New York City Public Schools under Chancellor David Banks. In less than three years, our City’s public schools have transformed from keeping schools safe and open post-pandemic to being a place where our students’ reading and math scores and graduation rates have improved. We have implemented critical initiatives like NYC Reads, NYC Solves, and universal dyslexia screenings, while ensuring seamless and timely coordination with partners to welcome, enroll, and support thousands of incoming students and their families on a citywide level. We have done all this and more on behalf of nearly 1 million public school students, and Chancellor Banks has been critical to making this happen every day. On behalf of all New Yorkers, we thank Chancellor Banks for his service and wish him well in his retirement at the end of the calendar year.”
Sheena Wright is a regular participant in the Mayor’s weekly Q&A with reporters. But Wright was not among the officials present Tuesday, and there is growing speculation that she could be next to go.
City Council member Robert Holden says the mayor seems determined to move on.
“We met him on the day of some raids and he was unfazed. So he’s kept a good poker face so far. It’s just a matter of time: Will this catch up with him and he’ll wake up one morning and not be able to function because he’s human? That’s got to be weighing on him,” Holden said.
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