Cd'A schools to hire finance director

Coeur d'Alene public schools chief Matt Handelman announced Tuesday that the school district intends to hire Brian Wallace to serve as director of finance and operations.

The hiring selection will be presented to the school board in March for final approval.

"Mr. Wallace has come to us highly recommended from his current and past employers, and his vast experience in school district finance and operations will be valuable for our district and our community," Handelman said in an announcement to media. "I am very pleased we have found such a high-caliber executive to join our team."

Handelman included representatives from the local business and finance community, and school board members, to represent a variety of perspectives on the interviewing team.

Wallace, an Idaho native, graduated from Wallace High School and earned a bachelor's degree in business education from the University of Idaho and a master's degree in education administration from California State University.

Wallace began his career as a teacher at Hacienda La Puenta Unified School District in California. His experience includes working for Glendale Unified School District as assistant director of technology and information systems. In 2002, Wallace returned to the region and was hired by East Valley School District as their technology director. After seven years, he was promoted to executive director of operations where he provided leadership and oversight for fiscal services and operational departments.

In the summer of 2013, Wallace accepted the position at Washougal School District in Washington as its business services manager where he is currently responsible for all fiscal service, student transportation, nutrition/food services, and facility departments.

He currently lives in Rathdrum, where he serves on the Lakeland School District Board of Trustees.

Wallace's first official day of employment with the Coeur d'Alene School District will be May 4.

Wallace will replace Wendell Wardell who was the district's chief operating officer from May 2012 through November 2014.

Specific information about Wardell's departure - whether it was voluntary and what his reason for leaving was - has never been disclosed by school officials or Wardell.