NYC Schools Chancellor\u00a0Melissa Aviles-Ramos is engaged \u201cin a loving relationship\u201d with the son of a powerful state lawmaker whose support she was counting on to help keep her job under the Mamdani administration, The Post has learned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aviles-Ramos\u2019 romance with Julian Sepulveda, son of Bronx state Sen. Luis Sepulveda, blossomed before she filed a petition to divorce her husband, multiple sources say.<\/p>\n
But now that relationship prevents Sen. Sepulveda \u2014 an ally of the chancellor \u2014 from openly lobbying Mamdani on her behalf, his spokesman acknowledged.<\/p>\n
Julian Sepulveda, left, dated Melissa Aviles Ramos in 2022 when she was separated from her husband but not yet divorced. The two visited Puerto Rico together. Obtained by the New York Post<\/p>\n
Julian Sepulveda, son of state Sen. Luis Sepulveda, left a job as state legislative director in the DOE for a prestigious gig as deputy director of intergovernmental affairs under state Attorney General Tish James. Julian Sep\u00falveda\/ Linkedin<\/p>\n
Aviles-Ramos, 43, began dating Julian Sepulveda, 33, long before she and ex-husband Samuel Ramos filed for divorce in early 2023, but the married couple considered themselves separated, his lawyer said.<\/p>\n
Before her marriage ended, Julian Sepulveda wasn\u2019t shy about his affection for the educator. According to a source who shared a screenshot, he posted a selfie on his since-deleted Facebook page showing Aviles-Ramos leaning gently against his chest during a getaway in Puerto Rico. The date: Sept. 2, 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knew she was with Julian. It was a big open secret,\u201d said a former DOE official.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been in a loving relationship for a few years now,\u201d Department of Education spokeswoman Nicole Brownstein confirmed.<\/p>\n
The ex-husband\u2019s lawyer, J.C. Polanco, denied any hanky-panky, saying his client and Aviles-Ramos, who have a daughter, had plans to divorce before the official filing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just drifted apart and broke up,\u201d Polanco said the husband explained. \u201cThere was no affair, no misconduct, and nothing beyond two adults moving forward with their lives. They remain close friends and committed co-parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYC schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos calls herself \u201ca single mom,\u201d without mentioning her divorce. James Messerschmidt<\/p>\n
The chancellor has repeatedly described herself in the press as \u201ca single mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Revelations this week about her relationship with a powerful politician\u2019s son come at a pivotal time, as Mamdani weighs his pick for NYC schools chancellor, one of the most crucial in his administration.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0Aviles-Ramos hopes to remain in the $426,280-a-year job<\/a> she has held since September 2024, replacing David Banks.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a New York City public school mom. It\u2019s important to me that the system runs well,\u201d she told The Post<\/a> after meeting Mamdani at a mosque during the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico this month. She told The New York Times, <\/a>\u201cIf I\u2019m given the opportunity, of course I would be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n Sepulveda\u2019s father,<\/a> who has served in the Senate and Assembly since 2013, gushed with praise for Aviles-Ramos after Mayor Adams appointed her<\/a> to succeed Banks as chancellor in September 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations to my dear friend and colleague Melissa Aviles-Ramos on being named the next NYC Schools Chancellor!\u201d he posted on X.<\/a> \u201cAs the highest-ranking Latina leader in NYC Public Schools, her experience, dedication, and Bronx roots will serve our students and families well. I\u2019m looking forward to working closely with her!\u201d<\/p>\n State Sen. Luis Sepulveda congratulated and praised Melissa Aviles-Ramos on X when Mayor Adams appointed her NYC schools chancellor \u2014 without disclosing that his son was romantically involved with her. Luis Sep\u00falveda\/ X<\/p>\n He did not disclose that his son was dating Aviles-Ramos. On Friday, he refused to discuss his son\u2019s personal life.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for Aviles-Ramos, the senator will not \u201cactively\u201d lobby Mamdani\u2019s transition team on her behalf, said his aide Mike Nieves. But Nieves added: \u201cIf he\u2019s asked, he\u2019ll have something to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Aviles-Ramos says she \u201cwould be grateful\u201d if Mayor-elect Mamdani keeps her on as NYC schools chancellor. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n A month after ex-Chancellor Banks took office in January 2022, he named Julian Sepulveda director of state legislative affairs, which paid $97,912 a year. At the time, Aviles-Ramos was a deputy superintendent of Bronx high schools.<\/p>\n Eight months after his promotion, Sepulveda quit the DOE.<\/p>\n Brownstein denied the DOE pushed Sepulveda out when word spread of his relationship with the still-married Aviles-Ramos.<\/p>\n The well-connected scion landed a \u201cway better job,\u201d Brownstein said, as deputy director of intergovernmental affairs under state Attorney General Tish James, starting at about the same salary: $99,883. Last fiscal year, he collected $112,085, payroll records<\/a> show.<\/p>\n