Fox River Grove Dist. 3 seats new board member

Devin Bright was not deterred when the Fox River Grove School District 3 board chose someone else to fill a recent vacancy on the board.

So when the 13-year resident of Fox River Grove heard that Steve Knar had resigned from the school board to become a village trustee, Bright again submitted his application to the school board.

Persistence paid off this week, when the District 3 school board tapped Bright to fill Knar's seat. Bright will serve at least until April 2011, when he will need to win election to keep the seat.

"They felt like he rounded out the board with his expertise in the area of technology," District 3 Superintendent Tim Mahaffy said. "He's very intuitive, he's an excellent listener; we just think that he'll keep the kids in mind with every decision that he makes."

The board picked Bright, an electrical engineer who has served on the district's technology committee, over two other applicants.

Bright said he was "pleased and honored" that the board picked him and hoped his technical background would enable him to bring a new point of view to the board.

The father of three children who attend district schools, Bright said he hoped to improve communication with parents.

"I didn't seek this position because I thought the board had significant problems," he said. "I hope I bring another independent and constructive perspective."