NYC schools superintendent to resign later this year after federal agents seize his devices

NEW YORK — David Banks, the chancellor of the New York City public school system, announced Tuesday that he will resign at the end of the calendar year, becoming the latest high-level departure from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration amid escalating federal criminal investigations.

The decision comes weeks after federal agents seized Banks’ phones and devices belonging to the city’s police commissioner, two deputy mayors and a top Adams adviser. Police commissioner Edward Caban resigned earlier this month.

Banks said in his retirement letter to The Associated Press that he informed the mayor in the summer of his plan to resign “after the school year gets off to a good start.”

Banks, a former teacher, principal and founder of a network of boys’ schools, has been leading the city’s public school system, the nation’s largest, since Adams takes office in 2022.

The resignation letter made no mention of multiple ongoing federal investigations into Adams’ senior aides, relatives of aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling.

Adams said in a statement that he was “extremely grateful and proud” of Banks’ accomplishments during his years leading the school system.

Banks’ brother, Philip, is a former police officer who now serves as the city’s deputy commissioner of public safety. Their brother, Terence, a former superintendent of the city’s subway system, ran a consulting firm that promised to connect clients with high-level government stakeholders.

Earlier this month, federal investigators seized the phones of all three Banks brothers, as well as several high-ranking city officials.

David Banks shares a home in Harlem with his partner, first vice president Sheena Wright, and her devices were also seized. He has previously declined to discuss the search, telling reporters: “I can’t answer those questions.”

Federal prosecutors have declined to discuss the investigations publicly.

Banks’ announcement comes at a time when Adams is already dealing with several other high-profile departures. Earlier this month, top legal counsel Lisa Zornberg abruptly resigned, issuing a brief letter saying she “has determined that I can no longer serve effectively in my position.” The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, will also step down at the end of the year.

Adams, at a press conference Tuesday, rejected claims that his administration is facing an exodus as a result of federal investigations.

“Employees and staff come and go,” he said. “Very few stay for an entire term.”

When Adams, a Democrat, appointed David Banks as chancellor, he hailed his friend as a “visionary, leader and innovator who has spent his career fighting on behalf of students.”

Banks founded Eagle Academy in 2004 to provide education to young black and Latino boys who he believed were underserved by the education system.

Prior to her appointment as schools chancellor, Banks oversaw the foundation that funds six Eagle Academy schools, one in each of the New York City boroughs and one in Newark, New Jersey.