SCHENECTADY — The city school district’s controversial superintendent, Eric Ely, has resigned, but the school board is refusing to discuss a proposed separation agreement with Ely in advance of tonight’s scheduled vote.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre at the high school.

Ely’s resignation is effective Wednesday, according to a joint statement posted Monday on the district’s website. Ely was unavailable for comment.

Two school board members called the agreement’s terms reasonable. They and other board members cited confidentiality in refusing to discuss details. Board members said they are unaware whether Ely has accepted another job. He is a candidate for superintendent in at least one out-of-state district.

Cathy Lewis, who starts her term as a board member on Thursday, called the agreement a settlement of Ely’s existing contract. Ely’s contract runs through June 30, 2012. He is paid $193,899 annually, separate of benefits, which amount to at least $17,000. The board is required to notify him on or before June 30 of each year whether it will extend his contract.

Lewis said she and Ann Reilly, who also will take a seat on the seven-member board Thursday, have been kept informed about negotiations with Ely. “I think the settlement is reasonable financially and is for the benefit of district,” Lewis said. “It allows people to move forward and it does not prolong this to the detriment of Mr. Ely and the school district.”

Board member Andrew Chestnut, who joined the board in May along with Ron Lindsay, said he was unsure what he could say about the settlement. “I am trying to find out. Now that I am part of a confidentiality process, I cannot elaborate,” he said.

Lindsay would not discuss his view of the proposed settlement. “It is a difficult situation in a lot of ways, but it gives us an opportunity to move forward,” he said.

The school board will likely decide tonight whether to hire an interim superintendent until a permanent replacement is hired, said outgoing board member Jeff Janiszewski. “The board has been investigating potential interims,” he said.

Janiszewski said the school board and Ely concluded the agreement within the last week. “All partners are in agreement. He [Ely] definitively is not being forced out. This is a separation,” he said.

Norma Meacham, an attorney with Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna of Albany, handled negotiations on the board’s behalf. Meacham was not available for comment.

According to the school board’s contract with Ely, the board or Ely can by mutual agreement terminate his employment upon 90 days’ written notice. The board hired Meacham in April.

Like Lewis, Janiszewski called the settlement “fair and reasonable for both partners.” He called Ely “one darn good superintendent. He raised test scores, oversaw a drop in disciplinary issues, extended the school day and built schools. That is his legacy.”

Janiszewski added, “Under different circumstances, I would be sorry to see him go, but his ability to be effective has been compromised.”

Lewis agreed. “The handwriting was on wall with regard to this,” she said.

Lewis was part of a coalition, along with Reilly, Chestnut and Lindsay, who were elected in May on the platform of changing the district’s leadership. The coalition will have a board majority on Thursday, a day after Ely’s resignation.

Ely’s position became untenable during the trial of former school employee Steven Raucci. Raucci was convicted of placing bombs on cars and homes to intimidate the owners, some of whom were school employees.

Ely has been criticized by district residents and new school board members for failing to act on complaints made about Raucci.