Studies of collaborative public management have relied on a number of concepts that are time-bound. Collaborative networks rely on trust and stable expectations – both elements that have strong temporal elements. Despite this attention, there has been less research into the evolution of collaborative relationships than one would expect – especially using large-N quantitative methodologies. This is due in part to the methodological difficulties of studying relationships across time using survey methodologies. This paper reports results from two surveys of school districts immediately following Hurricane Katrina that asked about their collaborative relationships – including whether they continued collaboration more than a year after the hurricanes. The results suggest that organizational structure plays the largest role in determining whether organizations maintain collaborative relationships
