Mayor Adams Names Melissa Aviles-Ramos NYC Schools Chancellor Successor (Video)

NYC Mayor Eric Adams today announced Melissa Aviles-Ramos, a veteran of New York City Public Schools and a lifelong educator, as the new public schools’ chancellor, effective January 1, 2025, after Chancellor David A. Banks’ retirement.

“… highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader …”

Aviles-Ramos is the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader in New York City Public Schools, and currently serves as deputy chancellor for family and community engagement and external affairs. She brings a wealth of experience fostering community engagement and supporting families to her new role, having joined New York City Public Schools in 2007 as an English teacher, and then went on to serve as an assistant principal, principal (where she brought up graduation rates by 60 percent in just two years), deputy superintendent, acting superintendent, and education administrator. Her efforts have included creating advisory councils, launching community-based projects, and spearheading initiatives that address critical issues affecting students and their families.

“Today, I could not be prouder to announce somebody who possesses a fierce commitment to public education as our next public schools chancellor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos,” said Mayor Adams. “Melissa is a veteran of New York City Public Schools and a lifelong educator. She brings a wealth of experience fostering community engagement and supporting families to her new role, serving in numerous roles in our public school system, and I believe she is the right woman for the moment. 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. 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.”

“Becoming the chancellor for nation’s largest school district is the ultimate job for a lifelong educator,” said incoming Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. “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.”

“Over the past two years, we’ve celebrated historic achievements, from record graduation rates to expanding opportunities through our Career Pathways initiative. Today, I’m proud to welcome Melissa Avilés-Ramos as our new chancellor, whose deep commitment to family and community engagement will build on this success. Her leadership and experience will further strengthen our schools, ensuring that every student has the support they need to thrive,” said Public Schools Chancellor Banks. “Together, we’ll continue our mission of delivering a world-class education for every child in New York City.”

“Chancellor Banks has been a passionate advocate for New York City Public Schools since his appointment, and we are deeply grateful for his steadfast service. From his days as a school safety officer to his role as chancellor, he has been unwavering in his dedication to one critical mission: educating and empowering the next generation of New Yorkers. Under his leadership, New York City Public Schools has made tremendous strides in serving the nearly 1 million students across our city, with a focus on equity, innovation, and excellence,” said City Hall Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “I have every confidence that our incoming chancellor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos, will continue this important work. Melissa is not only a product of New York City Public Schools, but is also a first-generation high school and college graduate — a lifelong educator who truly understands the transformative power of education. Her journey from the classroom to Tweed exemplifies her deep commitment to making our schools more accessible, inclusive, and effective for all students and families. With her at the helm, I am certain that New York City Public Schools is in excellent hands.”

“New York City Public Schools made tremendous strides under Chancellor Banks’ visionary leadership, and will continue to do so under the steadfast direction of Melissa Aviles-Ramos” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “With student possibility as the North Star, New York City Public Schools has been reimagined: establishing ‘NYCReads’ for revolutionary student and teacher support, seeing record emphasis on Career Pathways, enrolling 114,000 more children in early childhood programs, welcoming 40,000 migrant children, and seeing significant gains in math scores for Black and Latino students — these are the accomplishments that Chancellor Aviles-Ramos will build from. I am thrilled to welcome her as our next leader of New York City Public Schools.”

“New York City Public Schools has made significant strides in recent years,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne William-Isom. “From enhanced literacy programs to partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals, the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and others to provide young people not just a quality education but resources for mental health and parent supports, among so many others. Thank you to Chancellor Banks for his leadership over this period and congratulations to incoming Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. I’ve worked closely with incoming Chancellor Aviles-Ramos to help more than 40,000 young people from families seeking asylum integrate into our public school system. I’ve witnessed her care, compassion, and advocacy for children and families firsthand and I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role as we work to give every young person the chance to thrive.”

“Her background as a teacher, school administrator, and deputy superintendent …”

“Chancellor Banks’ leadership has been a remarkable catalyst for progress in New York City Public Schools. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for his unwavering commitment to our students and families,” said Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I am thrilled to welcome incoming Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader of New York City Public Schools. Her background as a teacher, school administrator, and deputy superintendent, along with her Bronx roots, uniquely positions her for this role. I look forward to collaborating with Chancellor Aviles-Ramos to address the needs of our youngest learners, families, youth services, and our early childhood community. Her leadership will leave a profound impact on New York City.”

Mayor Adams also today celebrated the highly successful tenure of New York City Public Schools over the last three years, where signature Adams administration initiatives were ushered in, the school system rebounded from COVID-19, and students saw increased access and equity to the largest school system in the nation. Key successes during this time include:

• Implementing major literacy initiative through “NYC Reads,” which has adopted curriculum based in the science of reading to half of the city’s elementary schools and 90 percent of early childhood programs.
• Implementing “NYC Solves,” a major citywide initiative to raise math achievement so all students graduate with strong math skills.
• Instituting nation-leading dyslexia support through mandating dyslexia screenings for all students and opening the first-ever public school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and other print-based learning disabilities. 
• Expanding accelerated learning opportunities for more students by adding 57 Gifted and Talented programs and increasing the number of students participating by 2,400 for a total of 16,500 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.
• Opening nine new schools and 24 new school buildings, including the most new K-12 seats opened in two decades, ahead of the 2024-2025 school year.
• Helping 8,662 students secure a total of 23,000 job placements, resulting in students earning a cumulative $8.2 million from paid work experiences at top companies through FutureReadyNYC.  
• Cementing new labor contracts that keep the city’s public schools competitive for talent nationwide, helping to increase the teacher retention rate to 95 percent. 
• Investing over $600 million in new funding to protect critical programs that were funded with temporary stimulus dollars.  
• Dramatically increasing early childhood enrollment with over 150,000 children enrolled across the system last year, reduced the per child co-pay from an average of $55 per week to less than $5 per week and ensured every child who applied for a seat was offered a seat for this school year.
• Winning mayoral accountability of schools twice in three years and achieving an increase in enrollment for the first time in eight years, while investing $180 million to implement a comprehensive class size reduction plan. 

Melissa Aviles-Ramos

Melissa Aviles-Ramos is a lifelong educator who has served in a multitude of capacities at New York City Public Schools. Aviles-Ramos was born and raised in the Soundview section of Bronx neighborhood in New York City, the daughter of a Puerto Rican single mother. She is the first in her family to graduate from high school, and the first in her family to attend college. Her own under-resourced upbringing led her to fiercely pursue creating access for students and families across New York City.

Aviles-Ramos brings a wealth of knowledge of the city’s public school system. She has served as a devoted teacher, assistant principal, principal, deputy superintendent, and acting superintendent before transitioning to a central office position where she played a pivotal role in developing ‘Project Open Arms,’ New York City Public Schools’ response to the influx of migrant families seeking asylum. Her efforts have included creating advisory councils, launching community-based projects, and spearheading initiatives that address critical issues affecting students and their families. 

Aviles-Ramos started her career as an English teacher at Truman High School in 2007 before moving on to become the principal at Schuylerville Preparatory High School, where she increased the graduation rate from 23 percent to 68 percent in her first year, and from 68 percent to 83 percent in her second year with approximately 71 percent of English language learner students being deemed as college ready.

She went on to serve as a senior executive director of program implementation in the Office of the First Deputy Chancellor before transitioning to chief of staff to Chancellor Banks, then ascending to her current role of deputy chancellor of family and community engagement and external affairs.

“She is a mother to a daughter.”

Aviles-Ramos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University, and a Master of Arts degree from CUNY City College. She is a mother to a daughter.

“Deputy Chancellor Aviles-Ramos brings invaluable leadership experience to this role, having served in nearly every capacity within our schools — from teacher to principal to superintendent,” said Keri Alfano, principal, Harry Truman High School. “As a school leader, I’m inspired by her passion for community engagement and her relentless focus on student success. Her leadership is the kind we need to continue transforming our education system.” 

“Deputy Chancellor Aviles-Ramos has already shown what a true advocate for families looks like through her work with Project Open Arms and other community-driven initiatives,” said Grace Bonilla, president and chief executive officer, United Way of New York City.” As someone who is deeply invested in the wellbeing of our children and families, I’m thrilled to see her in this role. Her dedication to ensuring that every child and family is supported is exactly what our schools and city need.” 

“Deputy Chancellor Aviles-Ramos has been a steadfast partner to me at every level,” said Yvette Rivera, principal, Bronx Early College Academy. “I can say that her ability to unite educators, families, and communities is second to none. Her leadership in addressing critical issues like language access and the needs of migrant students has been extraordinary. As chancellor, she will undoubtedly build an even more inclusive and equitable education system for all.”

“As a parent, I have seen the incredible work that Deputy Chancellor Aviles-Ramos has done in our schools, and I am truly excited about her stepping into the role of chancellor,” said Veronica Piedra Leon, president, Community Education Council District 24. “Her deep commitment to family engagement and her hands-on experience in supporting our diverse communities make her the leader our children need. With her at the helm, I’m confident our schools will continue to be a safe and supportive place for every student. I want to extend my gratitude to Chancellor Banks for being a champion for all of our students, focusing on the whole child, and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.” 

“Deputy Chancellor Aviles-Ramos’ journey from classroom teacher to chancellor is inspiring for all of us who want the best for our children,” said NeQuan C. McLean, president, Community Education Council District 16. “Her understanding of the challenges faced by families, especially newcomers to our city, reassures me that she will be a leader who listens and acts. We are fortunate to have someone with such vision and compassion.” 

Photo credit: HWM.