This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" reviews the historical development of the school business management process and the role, responsibilities, and training of the administrators assigned to carry out the process. The origins of school management in colonial America and the subsequent growth and increasing complexity of the school management function through the present are noted first. The chapter then explains the role of the school business administrator in terms of his or her place in the administrative organization, the basic principles involved in school business management, the administrator's areas of responsibility, and the required professional preparation and certification. The part played by the Association of School Business Officials in establishing professional standards for school business administrators is noted, and the personal and professional behaviors cited as critical by experts in the field are reviewed. (PGD)