On Wednesday, when Melissa Aviles-Ramos was named as the next New York City schools chancellor, she was effusive in her praise of Mayor Eric Adams, pointing to his accessibility and saying he "is New York City."

On Thursday, NY1 asked her how she was feeling about the mayor after the mayor had been charged with federal crimes, including bribery. 

“I feel the same way that I did yesterday,” Aviles-Ramos said during a one-on-one interview. “I am a committed New York City public school mom. I am a 17-year veteran. I am an English teacher and I'm a proud New York City resident. My commitment to the city, to the city school system is not going to stop. And I'm just happy to have this opportunity.”

What You Need To Know

  • Melissa Aviles-Ramos is set to become schools chancellor on January 1, but City Hall is mired in uncertainty after the indictment of Mayor Eric Adams

  • Aviles-Ramos, who yesterday effusively prasied the mayor, says her focus is on running the school system

  • Ramos avoided directly commenting on the mayor's indictment, and waited a long moment before answering a question about her relationship with the mayor

Many elected officials have now called on Adams to resign, and the chancellor is a position appointed by the mayor. NY1 asked if she was concerned that there could be leadership changes at City Hall before she takes the reins of the school system. She once again pivoted to the work ahead of her.

“The task in front of me is to make sure that New York City public school students are safe, mentally and physically, that they are learning how to read, they are learning math, and that they are given opportunities to go on to big, bold careers when they graduate from here. That's what I'm here to do. That's what I've been doing for 17 years. That's what I hope for my own child. And my commitment to New York City doesn't stop at any given time,” she said.

But Aviles-Ramos will work closely with the mayor in her role, in a system where the mayor controls the public schools. Pressed again on their relationship, Aviles-Ramos paused for a long moment, prompting the question to be asked again before she answered.

“I'm part of senior leadership in New York City public schools. I've worked closely with Mayor Adams and with his team for two years now,” Aviles-Ramos said. “And through Project Open Arms, I had the opportunity to work with a number of commissioners and agency heads and the mayor himself and his office. And again, our commitment is to New York City and to New York City's residents and to New York City's children.”

Aviles-Ramos also spoke with NY1 at length about education topics -- things like services for children with special needs, the school system’s response to the migrant crisis, which Aviles-Ramos oversaw, and new curriculum rollouts and cellphones. NY1 will share more about that on Friday.