POLAND – The School Union 29 board voted to approve the hiring of a seasoned Maine educator to become the new superintendent Tuesday night.

Nina Schlikin will replace Robert Wall. Members of the school committees of Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland, that comprise the Union 29 board, voted unanimously to hire Schlikin.

At the helm since 1989, Wall plans to leave his position June 30. The Union 29 board agreed to buy out Wall’s contract in February.

“She is very devoted to the kids. She will be a great educational leader for Union 29,” said Colleen Quint, a member of the Minot School Committee. She chaired the Superintendent Search Committee.

Currently employed by the Maine Department of Education as a distinguished educator working with priority school districts, Schlikin has served as principal of the Dike-Newell Middle School in Bath, and of an elementary school in Gray and Cumberland. She also served as interim superintendent of SAD 15 in Gray-New Gloucester. In her current position, she is developing plans on how to improve instruction and curriculum.

“My primary vision is we are going to be the No. 1 school system in the state,” Schlikin said, adding that she wants Union 29 to be a high-achieving school system for all of its students. Beyond that, she wants to wait and see what is most needed. “I really need to get a feel for the communities first. To see where the strengths and challenges are and develop a plan from there.”

The new superintendent said she wants to see parents and community members become more involved with the schools in a positive way.

Schlikin, 58, currently lives in Gorham. She said she is selling her house and is hoping to purchase a home in Minot.

Her predecessor served as superintendent for nearly 14 years. Before coming to Union 29 in 1989, Wall, who is now 56, was an elementary teacher and principal at Greene and Leeds central schools in SAD 52.

The auditorium at Poland Regional High School is dedicated to Wall. That school and the adjacent Bruce M. Whittier Middle School were both planned, funded and built during Wall’s tenure. Both schools opened in the fall of 1999.