Mayor Adams Appoints Melissa Aviles-Ramos as New NYC Schools Chancellor

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Melissa Aviles-Ramos as the next chancellor of New York City Public Schools on Wednesday, September 25th, following the resignation of Chancellor David Banks. Aviles-Ramos, a veteran educator and the current deputy chancellor for family and community engagement will assume her role on January 1, 2025. She becomes the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader of the nation’s largest public school system.

Aviles-Ramos has nearly two decades of experience in the New York City public school system, having started her career as an English teacher in 2007 before serving in multiple leadership roles, including assistant principal, principal, and superintendent. She is credited with increasing graduation rates by 60 percent in just two years at Schuylerville Preparatory High School, demonstrating her commitment to student success and community engagement.

Mayor Adams praised Aviles-Ramos for her dedication to education, highlighting her contributions to initiatives such as Project Open Arms, which supported migrant families during the city’s migrant crisis. Adams expressed confidence in her ability to build on the successes achieved under Chancellor Banks, including improved literacy rates, expanded early childhood education, and better math proficiency scores among students.

In her acceptance speech, Aviles-Ramos pledged to continue the transformative work of improving New York City’s public schools. She emphasized her commitment to students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and providing pathways for older students to succeed. She said “Becoming the chancellor for the nation’s largest school district is the ultimate job for a lifelong educator. 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.”

The appointment comes as part of a series of changes in Mayor Adams’ administration, with several high-profile resignations in recent months. Aviles-Ramos takes on the role during a period of educational reform, with Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks having introduced key initiatives such as universal dyslexia screening and the NYC Reads literacy program.