1:1 with Melissa Aviles-Ramos – the new chancellor of New York City Public Schools
New Yorkers might be wondering who’s in charge of what these days – from the mayor’s federal indictment to several high-level resignations rocking City Hall.
News 12 is getting a closer look at the person now tasked with running the largest public school system in the country: meet the new chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Melissa Aviles-Ramos.
The Bronx native, whose parents were born in Puerto Rico, attended St. Raymond Academy for Girls and still lives in Soundview.
Throughout her career with the Department of Education, she’s worked as a teacher, a principal at Schuylerville Preparatory High School in the Bronx and as chief of staff for former DOE Chancellor David Banks.
Aviles-Ramos starts her role in a tumultuous time for the city.
Her appointment was announced Sept. 25, one day after Banks said he would resign and a few weeks after the phones of Banks and other officials were seized. However, as more news broke about the federal investigations into Mayor Eric Adams’s 2021 campaign funds, the timeline for Banks’s departure was sped up from December to October.
She says her priorities as schools chancellor will be empowering parents, listening to student voices, and wellness and safety on-campus.
Chancellor Aviles-Ramos will start Wednesday, Oct. 16.