School business is a very complex and demanding profession requiring a special set of knowledge, skills, and abilities.  It is incumbent upon us to ensure that those that follow us have the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities. To that end, the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of School Business Officials (FASBO) has embarked on the creation of a Professional Certification Program.

Although Florida is the fourth largest state in the nation, it is one of nineteen states with no certification or credentialing requirements.  The Florida School Finance Council has recognized this emerging issue.  It is the feeling of the Council that certification or credentialing will benefit individual school districts and the statewide education system as it will address recruitment and retention issues, cultivate talent internally, encourage best practices, and build a cadre of professional school business leaders and staff members.  As technology advances an increased need for training at the clerical and paraprofessional is also becoming more apparent. 

Recognizing the importance of attaining professionalism for school business officials, not only with regard to acquired knowledge and experience, but also in terms of the recognition and respect of peers and other professionals, FASBO’s Board of Directors established its Professional Certification Program in 2009.

The Program offers both acknowledgment and recognition for professionals at all levels of school business management. Certification is a way of recognizing those individuals with the background, training, and on-the-job experience to meet recognized standards of professional competence.