The Northport Board of Education will conduct its review and evaluation of superintendent Ty Wessell March 17 at 7 p.m.

At its regular meeting Monday, the board reviewed the form it will use to evaluate Wessell’s performance for the 2007-08 school year. In a phone report Tuesday afternoon, Wessell said the 13-page form will be filled out individually by each board member before the March 17 meeting. At the meeting the board members will discuss each area of Wessell’s job, including:

• Supervision of curriculum and instruction.

• Facilities and operations management.

• Public relations and communications;

• Personnel management.

• Supervision of board goals.

• Board relations.

• Supervision of business and fiscal matters.

Under each area of evaluation is a series of statements, such as “Does the superintendent provide for careful budget preparation?” The list of answers ranges between “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Board president Denise Branch said the certified staff and support staff will also fill out evaluation forms, and the board will consider the responses at the March 17 special meeting. Under the state Open Meetings Act, Wessell has the right to ask the meeting be closed to the public during the portion in which the board conducts the actual evaluation. However, the board must be in open session before it can make any motions related to the evaluation process. Wessell did not say on Tuesday if he would ask for a closed session on March 17.

In other business during its two-hour meeting, the board:

• Approved 6-0, with member Alan Woods absent, signing a letter of intent with the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Health Plan Consortium. Wessell said by signing the letter, Northport is authorizing TBAISD to explore the feasibility of a shared purchasing arrangement for medical benefit plans to stabilize or reduce current health premium costs. It doesn’t commit the school district to a new health insurance plan for its employees, but authorizes the ISD to explore different options.

• Approved the Class of 2008 Senior trip to Chicago May 24-26.

• Saw a presentation from students Brayton Farr and Miles Chisolm about the district’s website.