CCFO curriculum candidates must successfully complete a series of 11 small-group courses that will provide individualized attention to various county financial management topics. The curriculum is designed to ensure that every county finance officer can perform the fundamental tasks associated with their position and to allow CCFOs to learn advanced skills required to enhance their abilities to perform their official duties. After each course the CCFO candidate must take an individual test consisting of 50 multiple choice and true false questions with a passing grade of 70% or higher. In-person testing is not “open book” and will be proctored. Online testing will be timed for 50 minutes.
Course #1 Government Environment reviews the State of Tennessee Constitution and requirements of county governments and offices. This course focuses on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state and county governments.
Course #2 County Budgeting focuses on the legal and regulatory framework of the budget process involving county governments, including the board of education and highway departments. In this course, several best practices for the budget process are discussed, including the State of Tennessee statutory responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches within county government.
Course #3 Cash and Grants Management is comprised of two half-day sessions. Cash management focuses on how to evaluate and plan for cash flow throughout the year including an overview of the legally permissible investment options and risks facing county governments. Grants management reviews the legal, internal control, accounting and federal Single Audit requirements for federal grant awards received by county governments.
Course #4 Purchasing and Risk Management is comprised of two half-day sessions. Purchasing focuses on the internal controls, policies, procedures, and legal requirements for county governments. Risk management covers topics such as self-insurance, commercial coverage, and insurance pools. Also covered will be best practices that can help county governments manage or reduce their exposure to general liability and workers' compensation claims.
Course #5 Internal Control and Audit reviews the concepts and theories of internal controls including segregation of duties, fraud risks, compensating controls, risk assessment process, and several practical real-life situations. This course also focuses on the legal and regulatory requirements for an effectively designed and operating internal control system.
Course #6 Payroll, Benefits, Pensions and OPEB reviews how to handle payroll and certain fringe benefit calculations that affect taxable wages and what is non-taxable for federal income taxes, social security, and Medicare. This course also reviews how to report retirement contributions to TCRS including census data, pensionable wages, the GASB accounting and reporting requirements for pensions and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) as well as how to accumulate information for year-end audit purposes.
Course #7 Governmental Accounting I is a thorough review of the accounting theory and application of the modified accrual basis of accounting required for governmental funds (general, special revenue, debt service, capital project, and permanent funds) by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Several class examples and exercises are discussed and reviewed to reinforce these concepts and how they apply to your internal financial reporting processes. This course will only be taught live and must be completed before candidates can register and attend Governmental Accounting 2.
Course #8 Governmental Accounting II is an in-depth examination of the accounting theory, application of the accrual basis of accounting required for proprietary fund types (internal service and enterprise funds), and fiduciary fund types (pension trust, custodial, investment trust and private- purpose trust funds). This class focuses on the accounting differences between modified accrual and accrual bases of accounting for long-term capital assets, depreciation, and debt. This course will only be taught live and Governmental Accounting 1 must be completed in sequence before candidates can register and attend.
Course #9 Debt Management and Capital Projects takes an in-depth review of implementing a capital improvement plan (CIP) and the budgeting and accounting requirements for some of the county’s largest capital projects such as buildings, jails, schools, and infrastructure. This class also reviews the legal and regulatory requirements for the construction and debt issuance process and how a county can manage its debt capacity and ability to repay debt.
Course #10 Financial Reporting I is an overview of the internal and external financial reporting of a county’s governmental funds and reinforces the concepts of modified accrual bases of accounting learned in Governmental Accounting 1. The class uses a Tennessee County’s audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) as a case study for external financial reporting as required by GASB. This course will only be taught live and must be completed before candidates can register and attend Financial Reporting 2.
Course #11 Financial Reporting II is a continuation of examining of the proprietary fund and fiduciary fund types, capital assets, and long-term debt and reinforces the concepts learned in Governmental Accounting 2. The government wide (GASB 34) full accrual financial statements and how they relate to governmental funds are reviewed in detail, along with management’s discussion and analysis as required by GASB. The class uses a Tennessee County’s audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) as a case study for external financial reporting as required by GASB. This course will only be taught live and Financial Reporting 1 must be completed in sequence before candidates can register and attend.