Officials from the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association today finalized their educational convention joint operating agreement to organize the spring and fall National High School Journalism Conventions.

The agreement governs the relationship between the parties for all conventions for which they have jointly agreed to reserve a venue for a convention. Currently, JEA and NSPA have contracts as far out as April 2018.

“Our partnership with the National Scholastic Press Association is solid. We are honored and privileged to partner with NSPA to provide exceptional high school scholastic media conventions,” JEA President Mark Newton said. “This agreement embraces the strengths of each organization and will provide our members — some of whom are also NSPA members — outstanding professional development. We look forward to many years of working with NSPA to strengthen scholastic journalism.”

JEA and NSPA have been jointly operating semiannual conventions since 1990. A national convention has occurred in some form since 1921.

The agreement, signed by Newton, JEA’s executive director Kelly Furnas, as well as NSPA’s executive director Logan Aimone and president Al Tims, outlines the responsibilities of each organization as well as the accounting for finances.