NSBA and AASA were in negotiations for a contract that would formalize their verbal agreement, which is what brought to light the financial challenges such an arrangement would have presented, Villani said.
“We realized it just was not going to have the same result,” he said of holding a joint conference.
NSBA’s decision “came as somewhat of a surprise to us,” Domenech said. “We’re disappointed, to say the least.”
The decision puts AASA “at a huge disadvantage,” Domenech said, because it leaves very little time for AASA to find a site for its own 2013 conference that can host a few thousand school administrators. “At this stage, we’re scurrying to find a date and location,” he said.
Still, he promised that AASA “will have a date and will put together a great event” for next year. He said AASA is hoping to find a venue for February or March 2013 “within the next week or two.”
As for what the collapse of the agreement means for the relationship between AASA and NSBA going forward, Domenech said there will be “hard feelings for sure” but emphasized the need for administrators and school board members to continue working together for the good of their schools—a theme that was championed, ironically, by the federal Education Department during a special summit held in conjunction with AASA’s 2011 conference.
“We still think there’s a need for boards and superintendents to have a good relationship,” Domenech said. “But it may take awhile” for the group’s frustration to subside.
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