In what may become a new model for national education organizations as memberships drop and economic woes deepen, the nation鈥檚 largest professional groups for district superintendents and elementary school principals have thrown in their lot together.
As part of a 鈥渇unctional consolidation,鈥� the Arlington, Va.-based American Association of School Administrators last week announced plans to move into the offices of its Alexandria, Va., neighbor, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, in the next one to two years. Each group will keep its own name, board, leaders, and members, but will share staff, space, and purchasing power. Daniel A. Domenech, the AASA鈥檚 executive director, expects the consolidation will save his organization at least $500,000 this year.
Both groups have proposed to raise membership dues this year, by $20 for the NAESP and by $10 for the AASA and both plan to merge their staffs through attrition rather than layoffs.
鈥淚nstead of having two of every department, we鈥檒l have one, and we鈥檒l have the opportunity to be more cost-effective and save money at a time when the economy is putting a lot of pressure on our organizations and all administrators and principals,鈥� Mr. Domenech said.
Barbara A. Chester, the NAESP鈥檚 president, said both groups would work hard to 鈥渕aintain the identity of who we are. This model makes sense as we move forward to have a strong voice in education and a strong voice in advocacy in common areas.鈥�
Less Influence?
Such consolidation鈥攂oth sides are quick to say it鈥檚 not a merger鈥攎ay provide a glimpse of the evolution of professional organizations across the country. Nationwide, education organizations have seen membership fall, particularly among younger professionals, and lower attendance at the annual conventions that are their main moneymakers.
鈥淚t seems we鈥檙e in an era where people are not much interested in joining organizations, participating in events,鈥� said Jack Jennings, the president of the Washington-based Center on Education Policy.
鈥淧eople are shifting toward the Internet and getting information in other ways. And the last couple of years, when school districts have really felt the budget crunch, it鈥檚 gotten very difficult to justify sending someone to a meeting even in-state, much less a national meeting,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he irony is Congress is going to be making decisions on education issues, 鈥� and the less involved educators and administrators are, the less in铿倁ence they will have over these decisions.鈥�
The NAESP lost $1.4 million in operating money in 2009-10 because of lower membership in the previous two years, NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly told board members Feb. 2-3.
And for the group鈥檚 million-dollar-a-year annual convention, she said, it鈥檚 becoming 鈥渕ore challenging to 铿乶ancially break even.鈥�
Membership stabilized this year at about 20,000 for the NAESP, down by more than 5,000, and at 13,000 for the AASA. Data on the AASA鈥檚 prior membership numbers were unavailable. In a announcing the consolidation to the NAESP board, Ms. Chester said, 鈥淚n these turbulent times, it often feels like a herd of buffaloes has stampeded into our lives, creating chaos, and uprooting the status quo. 鈥� Rather than allowing the challenges of our 鈥榮tampeding buffaloes鈥� to overwhelm us, we have deliberately taken action to assess our resources, investigate alternative operating procedures, and determine options at our disposal to confront and overcome these challenges.鈥�
New Strategies
Other groups are starting to have similar ideas on how to stay solvent鈥攁nd relevant. The Alexandria Va.-based National School Boards Association plans to hold a joint convention with the AASA in 2013, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, in Reston, Va., is also in talks to join the NAESP/AASA partnership.
The NASSP, which represents secondary school leaders, has seen its membership fall 10 percent to 12 percent in the past 铿乿e years, to under 26,000, according to Gerald N. Tirozzi, the executive director of the NASSP. He attributes that in part to belt-tightening among school boards, which are less apt to pay dues for their members now. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not happy with it, but we understand it and recognize it鈥檚 not people running away, it鈥檚 just the times we live in,鈥� he said.
Yet the group is also hoping that new collaborations with similarly minded education groups, coupled with more social-networking and more flexible formats for school leaders to gather and share information, will help the group meet the needs of increasingly tech-savvy members.
鈥淲e have to be careful we don鈥檛 get caught in what has become a very traditional model of a professional organization鈥攜ou need to put out this sort of publication, this many times a year, and you need to have a big, huge convention once a year,鈥� said Robert N. Farrace, the NASSP鈥檚 senior director for communications and development who is leading the group鈥檚 overhaul.
Officials from the AASA said the consolidation will allow the groups to merge lobbying efforts in time for the next reauthorization of the main federal education law. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be able to stand for issues in Washington that affect education policy鈥攍aws being proposed鈥攁nd speak with one voice,鈥� Mr. Domenech said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 de铿乶itely a bene铿乼 that鈥檚 beyond 铿乶ancial.鈥�
