Sacramento, CA — April 16, 2026 — The California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) today announced the launch of the Strategic School Business Leaders Academy, a new executive leadership experience developed in collaboration with Stanford Graduate School of Education.

The academy brings together senior school business leaders from across California to deepen strategic decision-making, strengthen district leadership capacity, and help shape the future of school business leadership in an increasingly complex education landscape.

School business officials play a central role in guiding district decisions related to budgeting, facilities, negotiations and long-term financial sustainability. As school systems face mounting fiscal pressures, declining enrollment in some regions and rising operational costs, the strategic leadership of school business officers has become increasingly critical.

The Strategic School Business Leaders Academy is designed to prepare experienced leaders to operate at the highest levels of district leadership, working closely with superintendents and governing boards to align financial strategy with student success.

“California’s school business leaders are responsible for navigating some of the most complex financial and operational challenges in public education,” said Tatia Davenport, CASBO CEO. “This institute will strengthen the strategic leadership of those executives and help ensure districts have the expertise needed to guide difficult decisions and protect long-term educational opportunity.”

The program builds on CASBO’s longstanding leadership development efforts, including the Business Executive Leadership (BEL) program and the Certified Chief Business Official (CBO) certificate, and represents the organization’s most advanced executive leadership offering.

Through the institute, participants will engage in a 10-month fellowship-style experience focused on strategic resource leadership, governance, negotiation strategy and long-term fiscal planning.

The Strategic School Business Leaders Academy signals:

• Elevated strategic thinking — the ability to operate at the systems level, not just the operational one
• Policy fluency — confidence shaping and engaging in high-stakes policy conversations, not just implementing decisions
• Fiscal vision — designing long-term sustainability strategies, not just managing budgets
• Negotiation sophistication — leading complex, multi-stakeholder negotiations with confidence and skill
• Executive judgment — making consequential decisions under public scrutiny, ambiguity, and competing pressures
• Architectural leadership — the capacity to design the structures, systems, and strategies that others execute

By convening California’s most experienced school business leaders in a collaborative learning environment, the institute also aims to advance the profession itself, strengthening the role of school business officers as strategic partners in district leadership.

The inaugural cohort will include up to 30 participants statewide, selected through a competitive application process.

“School business leadership has evolved significantly in recent years,” said Susanna Loeb, Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education. “District leaders must balance fiscal stewardship with strategic planning and policy leadership. This collaboration helps support that next generation of strategic leadership.”

Applications for the inaugural cohort of the Strategic School Business Leaders Academy are now open.

More information about the program, including application details, can be found at: www.casbo.org/academy

About CASBO

The California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) is the leading professional association for school business leaders in California, serving more than 30,000 members responsible for the financial and operational leadership of school districts and educational agencies statewide. CASBO provides professional development, advocacy, and leadership support to strengthen public education systems and improve student outcomes.

About Stanford Graduate School of Education

Stanford Graduate School of Education is producing groundbreaking research, model programs and exceptional leaders in education to achieve equitable, accessible and effective learning for all. Since the school’s founding in 1917, its faculty, students and alumni have worked to solve education’s greatest challenges and improve lives through learning, discovery and driving change in practice and policy.

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Contact: Jennifer Bulotti, (916) 955-1313, pr@casbo.org