Core certification is the foundation of ACCG's Lifelong Learning Academy. Before a commissioner is eligible to pursue a specialty track, he or she must first complete the core certification curriculum.
There are two core certification curricula, depending on when a commissioner was elected and when he or she enters the certification program.
Commissioners elected prior to 2026 follow the previous (or "old") curriculum.
Commissioners elected in 2026 or later, as well as commissioners beginning the certification program in 2027 or later, follow the updated ("new") curriculum.
Under the updated curriculum, all core certification courses are six hours in length.
Under the previous curriculum, all courses are 6 hours except Leadership Institute and Property Appraisal & Taxation, which are twelve hours each.
The updated curriculum replaces the twelve-hour Property Appraisal & Taxation course with two separate six-hour courses: Property Tax and Critical Relationships.
Commissioners who began the certification program under the previous curriculum but had not yet completed Property Appraisal & Taxation when the update took effect are required to complete both Property Tax and Critical Relationships instead.
Newly-Elected Commissioner Training (NECT) is a legal requirement under Georgia law and is required of all newly elected commissioners. While NECT does not count toward Core Certification hours, successful completion satisfies the County Government 101 requirement.
Listed below are the Core Certification courses completed by Commissioner Thompson toward Core Certification.
