Certified School Risk Managers Program

The Certified School Risk Managers Program (CSRM) will provide you with the in-depth knowledge of the risk management process and terminology based on the philosophy and theory of school risk management. The CSRM curriculum and national designation are provided by The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. There are five 8-hour courses required for CSRM designation. CSRM is a cohesive, unified education and designation program that builds risk management knowledge as it builds trust within the school system. Participants will attain an in-depth knowledge of the risk management process and terminology based on the philosophy and theory of school risk management. They will also learn how to better protect their schools against unplanned losses and to effectively maintain budget integrity in tough economic times by gaining proficiency in risk identification, analysis, control, financing, and administration.

The CSRM faculty consists of practicing school risk management professionals. Participants will become more efficient, knowledgeable, and better able to affect the total cost of risk impacting the budget of the school system. The CSRM Program was developed to further the professional development of the risk management team — giving participants a competitive edge. WASBO is thrilled to bring this opportunity to Wisconsin school district professionals employed as risk managers, employee benefits or safety coordinators, and administrative or other positions that oversee the risk management function. Service Affiliates who work with school risk managers are also encouraged to attend.  

Spring 2024 Registration Available Now! All Courses will be Virtual!

 

Spring 2024 Scholarship Available!

Due to the generous support of M3 Insurance, WASBO is awarding one scholarship to Wisconsin education professionals who plans to seek their Certified School Risk Manager designation in Spring 2024. Apply by January 26! The scholarship will cover registration for each of the five sessions that will be offered virtually. The scholarship recipients will be notified by Friday, February 2, with the intent of beginning sessions on February 6. If you have questions, contact Kristin Hauser at [email protected]. To apply for this scholarship:

  • The applicant must be employed by a school district, private school, university, or technical college in Wisconsin.
  • The applicant must be a first-time participant in the CSRM program.
  • Applications must be submitted before midnight on Friday, January 26, 2024. 

APPLY NOW!

 

Update credit requirements:

The National Alliance requires each individual holding the CSRM designation to attend one of the courses specified in its entirety every 12 months. (The update or 12-month period is determined by the CSRM designee's birth month.) These courses include:

Program Benefits

The benefits of the CSRM Designation include:
• Protect students and faculty by managing the school district safety program
• Learn how to better protect the district against unplanned and unforeseen losses
• Learn how to stay within budget and maintain budget integrity
• Lower the cost of risk and become proactive in managing risks
• Learn how to save taxpayer dollars
• Better understand the Workers’ Compensation program
• Learn how to better protect district assets
• Assure compliance with laws and regulations
• Gain skills in identifying potential sources of loss
• Earns trust and credibility within the school system
• Have the ability to maintain budget integrity in tough economic times
• Opportunity to network with other school business officials about risk management
• Affects the total cost of risk, impacting the school districts budget Increases skills in identifying potential sources of loss within school operations
• Meets the dramatically increasing demand for basic risk management knowledge in and beyond the school environment
• Especially designed to meet the needs of school risk managers, school business officials, employee benefits and safety coordinators, and those in administrative positions that oversee the risk management function in schools Improves ability to forecast loss amounts and maintain adequate reserves
• Demonstrates professional competence through attainment of the CSRM designation
• Provides opportunity to network with other school business officials about risk management

The Five Courses

Fundamentals of Risk Management

This course provides an in-depth look at the overall risk management process, delves into the identification step of the process, and examines the function of the school risk manager.
• Risk Management Function and Process
• School Risk Manager
• Identifying School Risks: Logical Classifications
• Identifying School Risks: Methods
• Gathering Loss Data

Handling School Risks

This course studies the development of a safety and health plan, loss control fundamentals, risk control and mitigation of exposures, and managing school claims. A post-accident loss control reduction technique is included.
• Introduction to and Fundamentals of Controlling Risk
• Safety and Health Program for School Districts
•  School District Exposures
• Managing School Claims

Funding School Risks

The purpose of this course is to examine various loss funding techniques, including guaranteed cost programs, deductibles and retention programs, pools, and transferring risk through contracts.
• Introduction to Funding School Risks
• Foundations for Funding
• Options for Funding School Risks
• Reserving for School District Risks
• Finance Issues for the School Risk Manager

Measuring School Risks

• This course includes the mechanics of developing, forecasting, and trending losses to be used in determining insurance program retentions and deductibles.
• Introduction and Qualitative Analysis for School Risks
• Qualitative Risk Assessment and Loss Run Analysis
• Quantitative Analysis: Tools and Forecasting
• The Risk Analysis Process

Administering School Risks

•  This course covers how a school risk manager implements and monitors the school risk management program, the risk management team, information technology, allocating costs, ethics in school risk management, and requests for proposals.
• Introduction to Administering School Risks
• The School Risk Management Team
• Communicating with the Risk Management Team
• Implementing the Risk Management Program
• Monitoring the Risk Management Program

Who Should Attend

Those employed by school districts as risk managers, employee benefits or safety coordinators, administrative, or other positions that oversee the risk management function, will benefit significantly by earning this designation. Insurance agency, brokerage, and company personnel who work with school risk managers also are encouraged to attend. Networking with other risk managers is encouraged throughout the CSRM Program. This includes:
• Risk Managers
• Employee Benefits Coordinators
• Safety Coordinators
• Business Managers
• Workers’ Compensation Coordinator
• Human Resource Manager
• School Nurse
• Insurance Agencies
• Insurance Representatives who work with schools

What to Expect

CSRM courses are intensive, concentrated learning experiences that can be applied to the workplace immediately. Participants will receive personal, expert instruction for the real-world issues of managing risks.
Each one-day course is available through classroom or online instruction, and includes an optional multiple-choice examination. (Examination is required for those pursuing the designation.)

 

To Earn Designation

To earn designation as a CSRM one must complete all five courses of study and pass an examination after each course. All five courses will be offered by WASBO over a one year time period. For designation through The National Alliance, one must successfully complete all five CSRM examinations within three years from the date of the first course taken. Course fees include all course outlines and reference materials.

 

Keeping Your Designation Current

The National Alliance requires each individual holding the CSRM designation to attend one eight hour course every 12 months in order to maintain the designation. A variety of sessions may count toward this on-going certification requirement and additional information may be found at https://www.scic.com/courses/CSRM/ce_and_updates. WASBO will work with the National Alliance to provide a course each year to enable CSRMs to meet these ongoing certification requirements.

The Exam Step-By-Step

  1. Visit the www.scic.com website and sign in to your account. After logging in, you will be taken to your account’s homepage.
  2. Click on Launch Learning Portal (top right portion of the screen). You are now entering the Learning Portal.
  3. Click on the Learning Center (orange) box in the middle of the page and locate your current course in your course list. Click Launch.
  4. Find the exam item in the table of contents and open the exam page and follow the prompts on screen.
  5. Complete the exam!

Exam Tips and Notes

  1. Question responses will save automatically when the test-taker goes to the next page.
  2. Exam-takers should plan for a quiet environment without distractions.
  3. No notebooks, study materials, or cell phones are allowed during the exam.
  4. You may have a blank sheet of scratch paper and a simple function calculator during the exam.  The sheet of paper needs to be destroyed after testing and no programmable or financial calculators are allowed.
  5. Leaving the exam room is not allowed, except to use the restrooms.  No cell phones or other materials may be taken with the student when they leave the room.
  6. The proctor must be in the room during the exam and remain in a location where they can see the participant's screen.
  7. The digital exam has a time clock to help the proctor enforce the time limit.  All exams will auto submit after time expires.  Participants finishing the exam before time has expired are permitted to submit their exam.
  8. Be sure to review your answers on all exam pages before submitting your exam.

Scholarships

Scholarships for the CSRM Program are offered through the National Alliance for classroom sessions. Apply at https://www.scic.com/the-national-alliance-scholarship. Eligible candidates are those who have not previously participated in the CSRM Program and intend to attain their designation. You do not have to be nominated. Anyone may apply.  

ONLINE SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT YOUR CONVENIENCE AS WELL: 
Please sign up for online courses at www.scic.com/csrm and use the code "WASBO" at checkout. Contact Kristin Hauser at 608.729.6641 for more information regarding CSRM Online courses.
 

Fall 2023 Courses

  • Fundamentals of Risk Management • September 27, 2023
  • Handling School Risks • September 28, 2023
  • Measuring School Risks • October 11, 2023
  • Funding School Risks • October 12, 2023
  • Administering School Risks • November 8, 2023
  • Update Credit: Emerging Risk • November 9, 2023