Outgoing NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks upset after being pushed out months early: ‘He wasn’t consulted’
Outgoing Chancellor David Banks’ shocking early exit came as a surprise even to the schools boss himself.
Banks was blindsided to learn from Mayor Eric Adams late Wednesday that he’d be pushed out of his job months earlier than planned, insiders told The Post.
Hizzoner barely gave Banks a heads-up as city officials announced nearly simultaneously that Melissa Aviles-Ramos would take over as chancellor Oct. 16, rather than at the year’s end as originally planned, sources said.
The sudden ouster left Banks upset, a source close to his team said Thursday.
“He hates that he didn’t get a chance to speak with his senior leadership team before the decision was made,” the source said. “He wasn’t consulted on the change of plans.
“Also, by removing him before Dec. 31, this will affect his pension amount.”
The brutal backroom maneuvering comes as the indicted Adams, besieged by federal investigations aimed at himself and his top officials, appears to be working to maintain the trust of Gov. Kathy Hochul and keep his job, according to sources.
Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, told the mayor he needs to clean house of problem staff — but has shied away from publicly saying who needs to be shown the door.
One source with knowledge of the decision told The Post it “dovetails” with the governor’s request to oust “those people who could be problematic.”
Banks and his now-wife, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, were among several top City Hall officials who had their phones seized in a spate of federal raids a month ago.
The raids compounded existing friction between Banks and Adams, sources said — adding that new strife followed when Adams himself was indicted last week.
Adams was ticked off by Banks confiding to city superintendents that he doubted the mayor could stay in power while facing federal criminal charges, sources said.
The mayor and City Hall officials also believed the blabbermouth Banks botched it and created confusion among parents about several initiatives, notably a potential cellphone ban and an expansion of early education seats, a source with knowledge said.
“When it came time for him to respond to the (federal) investigation, he again did not consult with anyone and just made statements on his own and leaked details to the press seemingly that were more about supporting his own narrative than the actual, actual narrative,” the source said.
“Although he did a good job, it was time for him to go.”
With Banks on his way out, the mayor’s longtime girlfriend Tracey Collins has ascended the ranks to become Aviles-Ramos’ senior adviser, a source said. Collins, a high-level Department of Education official, was recently accused of no-showing her $221,597-a-year job.
Collins, though not accused of wrongdoing, features prominently in the mayor’s indictment. She joined Adams on $45,000 worth of luxury international trips that prosecutors said counted as illegal foreign bribes to the then-Brooklyn borough president.
City Hall officials, when reached for comment on Banks’ exit, rehashed a statement contending they accelerated the departure to avoid a mid-year leadership change.
The mayor — who faces intense pressure to resign for the sake of a functional New York City government — said Thursday that city principals and teachers wanted a change at the top of the Department of Education for stability.
“To have both Melissa and David there at the same time didn’t bring the stability we wanted,” he said before a Rosh Hashanah service at a Manhattan synagogue.
Banks didn’t return The Post’s requests for comment, but sent a statement through a public relations firm that was later tweeted by a New York Times reporter.
“Last week, I announced my planned retirement, and I was ready, willing and able to stay in my post until December 31st to conduct a responsible transition for our staff,” the statement reads. “The Mayor has decided to accelerate that timeline…”
When asked why a PR firm was speaking on behalf of the chancellor, who remains in his post until Oct. 16, spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said that “he had his own person release it,” raising questions about whether the city and DOE still speak on behalf of the outgoing chancellor.
Banks over the past weekend married Wright, his longtime partner.
When a reporter asked if rumors that Wright too would soon depart the administration were true, Adams dodged the question.
“When we make personnel announcements, we make them, and we will make them as they come along,” he said.
An irritated Wright lashed out at a Post reporter and photographer Thursday when they reached her on a Harlem sidewalk — and even grabbed the snapper’s camera in a caught-on-video encounter.
“No message, no comment,” she said before she lunged at the camera.
The photographer pointed out he was on a public sidewalk, while Wright — a top aide to Adams who makes $250,000 a year and had the feds raid her home — held up her hand and proclaimed, “This is my privacy.”
“This is harassment when you’re following me down the street,” she told the duo, the video shows.
“It’s very aggressive. And it just feels unnecessary. I’m not going to give you a statement.”
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile, Khristina Narizhnaya and Jack Morphet
