AASA’s Governing Board adopted an agenda for federal legislation for the next year and bypassed standard practice for setting membership dues by opting for no increase in 2022-23 during its daylong meeting on Wednesday at the Omni Hotel in Nashville.

The roughly 120 delegates, representing members in seven geographic regions, also approved the candidacies of Gladys Cruz and Justin Henry, superintendents in New York and Kansas, respectively, for the AASA presidency. Digital balloting starts this week with the victor assuming the president-elect post July 1 and the presidency one year later.

Both candidates had a few minutes to talk from the podium about their fitness for the top leadership post at AASA. They also answered questions submitted by Executive Committee members.

The board also revised procedures in its bylaws for its presidential elections. The changes addressed the process for filling a vacancy in AASA’s elected leadership occurring between election and installation.

The legislative agenda, which serves as a blueprint for AASA public policy staff when working with elected officials and executive agency staff in Washington, D.C., addresses federal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic; support of students, families and special populations; support for school personnel; and district technology infrastructure and student data privacy.

On the issue of membership dues, the delegates had no objection to leaving annual dues at current levels. Usually, the Governing Board adopts new levels for the coming year based on changes in the federal government’s official cost-of-living data. Owing to the fiscal health of the association, staff had sought no increase.

AASA President Paul Imhoff of Upper Arlington, Ohio, presided over the meeting, which included regional breakout sessions to discuss the proposed federal agenda and the decision about dues.

(Jay P. Goldman is editor-in-chief of Conference Daily Online and editor of AASA’s School Administrator magazine.)