Applications are being accepted by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) for the 17th Cohort of the Chief Business Official (CBO) Mentor Program, a unique CBO training program.
Each year, twenty-five to thirty applicants are accepted into the FCMAT CBO Mentor Program. Many participants come from the business support area, but we specifically recruit and select candidates with leadership experience in other areas such as facilities, human resources, food service, technology, and instruction.
What is the FCMAT CBO Mentor Program?
The FCMAT CBO Mentor Program is a comprehensive and powerful professional development experience with the goal of producing highly qualified California CBOs. This one-year program provides classroom training that takes place in ten two-day sessions (Friday [night] and Saturday [day]). This program is unique due to the following four major components:
- Participants must be nominated into the program; the selection process is competitive
- Each participant is teamed with a mentor—a successful CBO with a proven track record of success
- Rigorous curriculum with significant participant work
- FCMAT funds all the costs of the training program, except participants’ travel and lodging expenses
The FCMAT CBO Mentor Program is a joint endeavor of FCMAT, SSC, the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), the County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and the Business & Administration Steering Committee. The FCMAT CBO Mentor Program intends, through interagency collaboration, to assist school districts in filling CBO vacancies throughout California. The program is connected to the CASBO CBO Certification Program with the intent that a successful participant may receive CBO certification, dependent upon approval by the CBO Certification Program evaluator, the mentor’s evaluation, and successful completion of the CASBO CBO testing process.
Interested in Becoming a Participant?
The screening process is based on selecting candidates who have the attributes to become a successful CBO. All candidates must be nominated into the program with the nominator identifying why they believe the candidate will make a successful CBO. Application details are available on FCMAT’s website.
Interested in Becoming a Mentor?
Mentors typically have ten or more years of experience as a CBO. We strive to match participants with a mentor in their geographic area.
Timeline
- December 13, 2019—Applications due
- January 2020—Selection of participants
- February 2020—Notification to participants and mentors
Download forms and information from the FCMAT website by clicking here.
