Ron White, the former president of the Bridgehampton School Board who also served as the varsity boys basketball head coach for six years, is stepping down from the board, according to a meeting agenda put out by the school on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. White, himself a Bridgehampton High School graduate who is in the final year of his fifth consecutive term on the school board, recently accepted a basketball coaching position at the Stony Brook School, a private college preparatory school educating students in the seventh through 12th grades in the UpIsland hamlet of Stony Brook.
The board was to have voted after press time Wednesday night to accept Mr. White's resignation.
He has been a real estate agent in this area for close to 20 years, is active in the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton, and is a father of two children.
In June, Mr. White — who had volunteered his time when he was coaching the Killer Bees because of his elected position on the school board — was one of seven Black basketball coaches from the South Fork honored with a proclamation from Southampton Town acknowledging their "service to the youth of the East End and beyond" and their "many efforts which have changed lives on and off the court."
He led the Killer Bees to three Suffolk County Class D championships, one Long Island title, and three appearances in the state public school playoffs. Last season, the Bees finished with 16 wins and three losses.
In a phone call Wednesday afternoon, Mr. White said he feels comfortable that he is leaving Bridgehampton in a good place.
"There is a lot more buy-in from our stakeholders and community members and even families that are outside of Bridgehampton," he said. "We've been able to really celebrate our school and show how amazing it is, instructionally and academically, and also from a place of growth academically, socially, and athletically. I feel like we are progressing forward."
He thanked the district teachers, administrators, and fellow board members. "I am given my opportunity of chasing my dream of diving into the game of basketball and becoming hopefully a full-time basketball coach to provide for my family," Mr. White continued. "I pay homage and owe a lot of gratitude to our amazing Bridgehampton community because it definitely sets us up for chasing our dreams."
His wife, Milena White, resigned in late August from her position as a bilingual office assistant at the Bridgehampton School.
Mr. White was first elected to the school board in 2009, and served as its president for 10 years starting in 2013. Its current president is Jennifer Vinski. "Ron has been a tremendous support to the Bridgehampton School community for many, many years," Ms. Vinski said in a text message on Wednesday. "We are incredibly grateful for all that he has done for the students of our district. We all wish him well in his new adventure and look forward to his many visits back to the hive. . . . He is stepping down from the board, but he is not leaving Bridgehampton!"