Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators -

Act 1591 of 2007

"An Act to promote best financial management practices and to require minimum qualifications for general business managers of public schools"

General Business Manager (GBM) is defined as a Chief Financial Officer or Business Manager, however the position is titled, who is responsible for the fiscal operations of the public school district, open-enrollment charter school, or education service cooperative and performs his or her duties under the direction of the Superintendent of the public school district or the Director of the open enrollment charter school or education service cooperative.

1. School districts, open enrollment charter schools and education service cooperatives are required to report the name and qualification status of its General Business Manager (GBM) in the Cycle 1 report.

2. GBMs employed prior to July 31, 2007 shall be exempt from these minimum qualifications as long as they remain with the same school district.

3. The named GBM must either meet the qualifications of a Certified Arkansas School Business Official (CASBO) OR be enrolled in the CASBO required courses of study.

4. If not already a certified CASBO, then the named GBM must complete at least 5 CASBO courses per year and must complete the 10 required courses and 5 elective courses within 3 years.

5. The 3-year time frame for completing the 15 CASBO courses begins July 1 preceding the Cycle 1 report naming the business official as district GBM. Once the training is complete, the school business official becomes a "Certified General Business Manager" (CGBM).

6. A Certified General Business Manager must renew his or her certificate by completing at least two upper level CASBO courses per year after the date of certification.

As of July 1, 2024, the Certification Program has been updated. Any individuals seeking initial certification who began the program prior to July 1 will be grandfathered into the previous program requirements. The updated program requirements will apply for all renewals.

Course Flexibility: Some courses previously "required" for certification will now be categorized as "elective." 

Grandfather Clause: Anyone who completed these courses before the July 1, 2024, implementation date will still have these courses counted as required for their certification. This ensures that those who followed the original certification requirements are not disadvantaged by the transition.

 We understand that change can be challenging, and we are committed to providing comprehensive support throughout this transition.

Certification Application

Please submit the completed application to Lana Webb at l.webb@theaaea.org. If you have any questions concerning this application please contact Lana Webb by phone at (501) 372-1691 or email at l.webb@theaaea.org.