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Bagley, a registered Democrat, was elected to the school board as a member of the Working Families Party in 2012.
After completing a standout college career at Boston College, Bagley, 54, played a dozen years in the NBA, where he starred for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics. He retired in 1993 after a brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks, his fourth NBA team.
Bagley’s two-year stint on the school board was action-packed: He was part of a group that helped wrest control of the board from both the state and the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee. He was strongly allied with former Workers Family Party Chairman Maria Pereira, who has been one of the chief antagonists to Mayor Bill Finch and his vision for the Bridgeport school system.
The former hoopster was most vocal on the issue of relocating his alma mater from its current East Side site to the former GE property on Boston Avenue. Bagley contended that the site, which served as a munitions manufacturer for decades, would be too contaminated to house a high school.
Besides his contentious relationship with Finch, Bagley also had difficulties with Interim School Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz, who replaced the departed Paul Valla earlier this year.
In his resignation letter, which was submitted Wednesday, Bagley cited no specific reason for his departure.
In a letter to the board, Bagley wrote, “This is to serve as notice of my resignation from the position of elected member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, effective immediately. It has been a privilege to serve the City of Bridgeport during my time on the Bridgeport Board of Education.”
According to the Bridgeport City Charter, the Board of Education is responsible for choosing Bagley’s replacement.
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