The Suttons Bay Board of Education is going public with its effort to evaluate Superintendent Mike Murray.

Murray, who's been with the district since December 2006, is asking that the community be asked about his performance.

“It’s such a public position. The school’s a major part of the community,” he said. “Any evaluation should not only be done by ‘insiders’ but the entire community.”

The three areas to be evaluated publicly:

• Are school buildings and learning environments orderly and free from threats of physical harm?

• Does every classroom demonstrate the belief that all students can master essential school skills?

• Is the school’s mission clearly understood, articulated and practiced by all personnel?

The evaluation “instrument,” also called a survey or questionnaire, incorporates the concepts into a series of 12 statements that will allow residents to identify whether they “agree,” “agree somewhat,” or “don’t know” on each item.

For example, participants will be asked the extent to which they agree with the following statement, “Students feel safe anywhere at the school, in classrooms, in bathrooms or outdoors.”

On Feb. 18, 1-page evaluation forms will be sent home with all students attending the Suttons Bay Public Schools. Forms will also be available in specially identified boxes at Hansen Foods, The Business Helper and the Suttons Bay-Bingham Library. In addition, the school system has placed the evaluation into a computer web-based format which can be accessed by the public and completed online at www.zoomerang.com/survey.

Forms will also be available in every school district office.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the public to participate in our superintendent’s evaluation process,” board president Sue Corbin said. “We’re hopeful everyone in the Suttons Bay School community will take the time to be involved.”

Murray’s annual evaluation by the school board is scheduled to be completed by the March 10 regular meeting. The results of the public evaluation will be part of that overall examination.