Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

Forest Grove School District business manager Ilean Clute will succeed Gwen Gardner

The Newberg School District has hired Forest Grove School District business manager Ilean Clute to become its director of finance and operations beginning July 1.

Clute will replace Gwen Gardner, who is stepping down June 30, after nearly four years with the district.

Gardner was brought in on an interim basis at the onset of the 2013-2014 school year after an unexpected $950,000 budget shortfall was discovered for the previous 2012-13 fiscal year. She replaced Nathan Roedel and addressed the problem by initiating a series of transfers, which brought the 2012-2013 end fund balance back into the black at $322,217.

At 0.7 percent of the $43.4 million general fund budget, however, that figure fell well below the recommended range of 3 to 5 percent, but over the following two years Gardner oversaw budgets that resulted in an ending fund balance of $1.86 million, which represented 4.1 percent of general fund revenues, for 2014-2015.

Clute, a Forest Grove native who received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Eastern Oregon University in 2007, is much newer to public education, having taken over as business manager for Forest Grove in November 2013.

Prior to her move to the school district, she served in finance and accounting roles for six years at Glen Walters Nursery just north of Forest Grove.

"When you're working for a for-profit, it's always about the bottom line," Clute said. "Coming into school, you have a different perspective. It's not about how much money you make in a year, it's about what you can do for kids. That's what's keeping me in education. It's more motivating. You have more of a purpose."

Gardner originally retired from the Hood River School District with 25 years of experience in business and accounting, but continued working in a variety of capacities for several districts and organizations, including the Willamette, Intermountain and Multnomah education service districts, and the Yamhill-Carlton and Hermiston school districts.

Gardner's current tenure in Newberg was not her first, as she served as interim director of finance for Newberg during the 2008-2009 school year as well.

"I've heard nothing but amazing things about what she's done and the shoes she's filled there at Newberg," Clute said of Garnder. "Hopefully I can live up to the same expectations. She's done a lot of really great things for Newberg, so I'm excited to continue that."