WRIGHT RESIGNS FROM SCHOOL BOARD

Steve Wright, senior member of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, resigned Wednesday to seek employment by the school district.

He is interested in a position with the Work Keys program at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School. The job is part of a federally funded program that creates job profiles and tests people.

"It's just opened up, so they need more people," Wright said.

He said that since he wasn't going to seek re-election, he chose to resign.

Wright's term on the board would have been up in April. But Wright couldn't be considered for a job in the district while serving on the school board.

Wright said the decision wasn't sudden and had nothing to do with other changes in the district staff. "We are a unified board," he said.

The school board just announced its new superintendent, Dr. Dan Steska, on Tuesday. He will replace Dr. Dan Tallent, who was hired in 1996.

Wright was first elected to the board in 1993 and won re-election in 1996. Formerly he worked as a car salesman and a banker.

Dr. R. Ferrell Ervin, president of the school board, said Wright had indicated a couple of months ago that he wouldn't seek re-election. Recently he talked with board members about a position within the district he felt was ideal for his career, Ervin said, and decided to resign his board seat.

"We've had no discussion about what to do next," Ervin said.

The board may appoint someone to fill the remaining three months of Wright's term, or the seat could remain vacant until the April election.