Graham Jaehing/Daily Mining Gazette Brad Baltensperger, emeritus professor at Michigan Tech, as well as one of the founding members of the CCASB, spoke at Wednesday’s CCASB Education Awards Ceremony.

HOUGHTON – At the Copper Country Association of School Boards’ Education Awards Ceremony Wednesday, Bradley Baltensperger, one of the founding members of the organization, was invited to speak and provide a brief history of the CCASB, including its origins and continuing goals. He also explained the role of local school boards and their value to communities.

“The CCASB was founded 26 years ago, to bring together school board members from area districts, to talk with other and see if they learn from one another,” he said, adding the organization was initially sponsored by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB).

Baltensperger said the MASB has two key functions. One is essentially to keep school board members aware of what is going in state government, and to work with legislators to ensure that education-related bills passing through the legislature do not go “off the rails.”

“Sometimes, we’re successful at that,” he said, “and sometimes not so much.”

The other role of the MASB is to provide development services to school board members.

“For those of you in the crowd, and many of you are not members of the school board,” said Baltensperger, “think about what the role of a school board is in your community.”

School Boards, he said, exist to do several things: To develop policies for the district; help the district plan for its future; hire a superintendent; and keep a finger on the pulse of the community.

School board members individually have no power whatsoever, Baltensperger said.

“They only have power when they work together as a team of three, or five, or seven board members, depending on how many board members there are in your district,” he said.

School boards, he continued, are a source of information. They provide input to the district’s administration on behalf of the public.

While people can try to get the board to do what they want, said Baltensperger, they can only accomplish it if there are colleagues on the board who agree that it is the right thing to do.

“So that’s what I’m here to do,” he said. “to promote the role of school boards and hope the public remembers how important they are.”

Hancock School Board President and current CCASB President Michael Lancour, said currently the organization meets a couple of times each year and conducts the annual Education Awards ceremonies.

In the fall, the group has a legislative breakfast, at which legislators hear from the board members on what the districts need to learn what they can provide.

“We also foster education through meeting and collaborating with different schools to (advance) education,” Lancour said.

Brad Baltensperger is an emeritus professor of psychology and human factors at Michigan Technological University. The Michigan Tech website states he was deeply involved in science education, particularly related to Earth Science and Environmental Science.