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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Introduction and background of Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos
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Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos introduces herself and provides an overview of her nearly two-decade career in education. She highlights her progression from a high school English teacher to various leadership roles within the New York City Public Schools system.
- Emphasizes her experience as a change maker, particularly in improving graduation rates as a principal
- Mentions her role in transitioning schools to remote instruction during the pandemic
- Highlights her involvement in key initiatives like Project Open Arms and NYC Reads
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
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Good morning everyone.
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Thank you so much Chair Joseph and Public Advocate Williams for your support and for your comments and we are very happy to be here with you and all of members of the council thank you for making time for us today.
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I am New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos and I am joined by my first deputy chancellor Daniel Weisberg, deputy chancellor of operations and finance Emma Vadera and chief financial officer Sarita Scott.
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As chancellor of New York City Public Schools, I have the honor of serving over 1,000,000 students and staff.
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This role is the culmination of my nearly two decade career in education, which I began as a high school English teacher in 02/2007.
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Throughout my tenure in New York City Public Schools, as I moved into the roles of principal, deputy superintendent, acting superintendent, chief of staff, deputy chancellor, and ultimately chancellor, I have aimed to be not only a leader, but a change maker, navigating times of crisis and pushing our schools to new heights.
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When I became a principal, for example, only about a quarter of the senior cohort in my school was on track to graduate.
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I was determined to work in lockstep with my team and the school community to change that, and by June of that same year, sixty six point seven percent of seniors had earned their diplomas and the following year we raised that graduation rate to nearly eighty two percent.
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Then in 2020, the pandemic struck and I transitioned my school to remote instruction.
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Later during the pandemic, I stepped up to serve at the district level as the deputy superintendent and then acting superintendent for Bronx High Schools.
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After joining our central team, I launched and led Project Open Arms working across our department and other agencies to enroll and support tens of thousands of our newest New Yorkers and their families.
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And as chief of staff to former chancellor Banks, I was also one of the key architects of New York City Reads, which I immediately envisioned as a transformational initiative for our schools.
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In my own time as a high school English teacher and literacy specialist, I saw just how many of our kids struggled to read long into their teenage years.
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To this day, these expectations and these experiences, excuse me, enable me to lead with a deep understanding of what it takes to build bold futures for our students.