Board votes to decommission Bassic High School and return property to city

The Bridgeport Board of Education voted to decommission Bassic High School and return the facility to the City of Bridgeport, citing the building’s poor condition, the district’s projected carrying costs and a lack of feasible in-district uses.

Mr. Garcia introduced the item, summarizing the operations committee’s review of the building’s condition and the “astronomical” cost to maintain or repurpose the site. The motion to decommission was made by Mr. Traver and seconded by Mr. Benahan; the board approved the measure by voice vote.

Board members said the decision follows committee study on fiscal and programmatic options. Garcia told the board that, after exploring potential uses and costs, committee members concluded the district could not identify a sustainable program to occupy a building of Bassic’s size without significant expense.

The vote authorizes staff and the district to proceed with the steps necessary to return the building to city ownership. The transcript records the action as a voice vote; no roll-call tally appears in the meeting record. The motion’s minutes will be incorporated into the board’s official records and the board directed staff to coordinate next steps with the City of Bridgeport.

The board’s action follows an earlier operations committee review and public discussion during the meeting. No additional conditions or financial offsets were recorded in the motion text provided at the meeting.