Less than three years after the mayor touted him as a visionary leader of the public school system, Schools Chancellor David Banks made his quiet exit Tuesday.

Banks' departure comes as the Adams administration has been roiled by investigations — and the mayor himself has been indicted. Banks has not been accused of a crime, but he, his two brothers and his wife all had their cell phones seized by the FBI last month. 

What You Need To Know

  • David Banks departs the role of chancellor Tuesday after serving less than three years at the helm of the nation's largest school system

  • His tenure was marked by the rollout of a new reading curriculum, called NYC Reads

  • But his achievements may be overshadowed by scandals hanging over the Adams administration 

David Bloomfield, a professor of educational leadership, law and policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, says that lingers over Banks' legacy.

"His legacy will be less about education and more about whether he's indicted, convicted or exonerated,” Bloomfield said.

But some who have known him for a long time say they expect his reputation to emerge unscathed.

“I think his integrity, which is absolute, will be sustained when the process is over,” Richard Kahan, the founder of the Urban Assembly schools, said.

Banks began his career in education as a school safety officer, then teacher and assistant principal, before becoming the founding principal of the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice. Kahan hired him for the job.

“He was on fire. He was committed. He was passionate. He was smart. He was dignified,” he said.

Banks went on to found the Eagle Academy, a network of public schools serving mainly young Black boys — a group the city had historically failed to help succeed.

“It was about the boldest thing I could imagine. I mean, you're taking the most difficult in terms of, you know, achievement in our public schools, group of boys. And everyone says, well, this is — we can't do anything for these kids. And just to take it on, I thought was remarkable,” Kahan said.

During his time as chancellor, the city welcomed tens of thousands of migrant children into schools, and launched a new literacy curriculum — NYC Reads, which, if it succeeds in turning around poor reading scores, will be part of his legacy. But Bloomfield noted that was championed largely by the mayor.

"It's an unwritten legacy, and I think not only overshadowed by the manner of his departure, but really Eric Adams having beat the drum in terms of what the program of the DOE was going to be,” Bloomfield said.

Still, Bloomfield cites overhauls to special education. Kahan points to a performance from Banks in front of Congress, testifying on antisemitism, as another pivotal moment.

City Council education chair Rita Joseph, who negotiated some contentious budgets with Banks, is sorry to see him go.

“Bittersweet. I wish him the best. New York City had one of the best voices in the seat in a long time. Because I was an educator for two decades and I've seen many chancellors, and this was one of the one of the best that we had in the city,” she said.

Mayor Eric Adams made no mention of Banks' last day at his weekly press briefing. Banks was initially supposed to serve through the end of the calendar year, but earlier this month, the mayor abruptly sped up that timeline and announced his final day would be Oct. 15 — something Banks said was not his own choice. 

Melissa Aviles-Ramos, a deputy chancellor and Banks’ former chief of staff, will take over as chancellor.