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After two months helming New York City schools, Kamar Samuels is expected to announce his cabinet members on Thursday as top Education Department officials say their goodbyes.
Acting First Deputy Chancellor Isabel DiMola, the school system’s second in command, announced plans to retire in a Wednesday evening letter to staff. She was tapped to fill the role by former Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos after a previous top deputy, Dan Weisberg, stepped down.
Also leaving her post: Deputy Chancellor for School Leadership Danika Rux, who supervises 44 superintendents charged with directly managing principals. Rux oversaw the system’s reading and math curriculum overhauls, a major priority under former Mayor Eric Adams.
In a Wednesday letter announcing plans to step down, Rux said she is “excited to see Samuels deepen the work and build his team.” Samuels has previously said he plans to keep the literacy mandate changes in place but has suggested there could be tweaks to the math program.
Cristina Meléndez, the deputy chancellor of family, community, and student empowerment, had previously announced her departure.
The flurry of staff changes is not surprising, as Samuels is expected to assemble his own cabinet to replace the one he inherited from the prior administration. Any new appointees will play an important role implementing Samuels’ priorities. The new administration’s vision for the larger system remains a question mark, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said little about his plans for the city schools.
In a message to principals, Samuels wrote that he is making an announcement Thursday about the system’s “organizational structure” and planned to convene school leaders shortly after the official announcement.
In her letter to school staffers, DiMola reminisced about her 30 years in education. She started at the age of 22 teaching social studies at Abraham Lincoln High School in Coney Island, Brooklyn, working her way through the ranks as an assistant principal, principal, and superintendent. For 16 years, she served as the superintendent of Brooklyn’s District 21, the same district where she attended public schools growing up.
Rux also began her education career 30 years ago, starting as a teacher and working her way up from a school leader to superintendent.
“Each step along this path has strengthened my belief that leadership in education is ultimately about people,” she wrote in her farewell to staffers. “It is about the relationships we cultivate, the trust we build, and the collective responsibility we carry for the success of every student in our care.”
Rux is leaving her post as a deputy chancellor to become a senior advisor to the Education Department’s Office of the General Counsel, she wrote.
Former Chancellor Aviles-Ramos announced a new job of her own this week. She has a senior role at HMH, a curriculum company with strong ties to the school system, a move that has raised eyebrows.
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.
