After returning from his nine-day trip to Ghana, New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams is ready to make the first major appointment to his administration, as he is expected to announce who will lead the city's schools.
Adams, known for keeping plans close to the vest, is expected to name his longtime friend David Banks as NYC schools chancellor, several insiders told NBC New York on Wednesday. Banks is the founder of Eagle Academy, a network of schools that serves almost entirely young men of color.
He would be an interesting choice given the schools Banks founded are rather atypical, offering mentorships and longer school days. The schools raise private funds from outside the system and their graduation rates outperform the city's Department of Education schools, but at the same time are unlike charter schools in that their instructors are members of the city's powerful teachers union.
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Banks himself is a graduate of the New York City public school system, and is said to have long been on a short list of candidates to run city schools. If tapped as chancellor, he would be responsible for educating the about one million school-aged children who suffered learning loss during the pandemic.
He will also be in charge of implementing some of Adams' pet proposals, like screening every child for learning disabilities as well as for gifted and talented programs, in the largest school system in America.
