BATAVIA - The Batavia School Board Tuesday voted to hire Batavia High School Principal Lisa Hichens as the district's next school superintendent.

Hichens will officially begin as superintendent on July 1, 2013, when Batavia School Superintendent Jack Barshinger retires from the post he has held for the past seven years.

“Over the years, Dr. Hichens has established herself as an exceptional educator and administrator and has garnered the respect and admiration of colleagues, students, parents and the community,” board member Cathy Dremel said in a press release. “She is a strong match to what our stakeholders identified during the search process and we are pleased to welcome Dr. Hichens to her new role.”

Hichens first joined the district in 1994 as a math teacher at Batavia High School.

“Hiring a superintendent is one of the most important jobs with which the Board of Education is charged,” Batavia School Board President Ron Link said. “Partnering with the community was vital to the process for selecting our next superintendent and we thank the members of the community for their valuable input.”

Transition planning with Dr. Barshinger will begin early next week and will continue through June 2013.   During the coming months, Dr. Hichens will focus on communicating with stakeholders, relationship-building, and learning even more about the district and its operations.

“This is an exciting time to be in education and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to serve as the next superintendent of Batavia Public Schools,” Hichens said.  “I look forward to collaborating with the Batavia community to continue the district’s tradition of academic excellence and continuous improvement.”