Act 61 of the 2nd Extraordinary Legislative Session of 2003 and Act 730 of 2005 established two (2) Tiers of required training for public school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education service cooperatives. The requirements are specified in ACA 6-20-2204 and Section 7.00 of the ADE's Rules Governing the Arkansas Financial Accounting and Reporting System and Annual Training Requirements.

Tier 1 requirements apply to school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and ESCs. 

Tier 1 financial training is required for:

Superintendents, Cooperative Directors, Charter Schools Directors, and the person responsible for preparing the annual school budget or overall accounting responsibility.

A first-year Arkansas superintendent or business manager is required to receive 12 hours of financial training which includes school laws of Arkansas, rules governing expenditures, fiscal accountability, and school finance, ethics, and financial accounting and reporting.

Each year after their initial 12-hour training, superintendents and business managers shall receive a 2-hour financial training update.

Tier 2 training is required for all school employees who make decision about selecting financial codes. This may include secretaries, principals, central office personnel, athletic directors, and food service directors, depending upon the financial job responsibilities of each in their districts.

Tier 2 training consists of 2 hours per year. Trainers are required to have Tier 1 initial training and annual updates. Each district, education service center, and charter school is responsible for providing the training to their employees.

The Arkansas Department of Education allows Tier 1 training to count for Tier 2 training. Tier 1 training (the annual 2-hour update) is held a number of time each summer at educational cooperatives and AAEA conferences. AASBO members assist in this effort by providing this training under the direction of the ADE.