BENTON — The Fairfield School Board named Steven Thalheimer as the school system’s next superintendent at the board’s meeting Thursday evening.

Thalheimer, who lives in Goshen, has been Fairfield’s assistant superintendent for five years. He will begin as Fairfield’s leader upon Superintendent Thomas Tumey’s retirement Jan. 1.

Before coming to Fairfield, Thalheimer spent two years as the curriculum coordinator for Lawrenceburg Community Schools in southeastern Indiana. He also worked as a middle and high school English teacher, English department chairman and freshman academy director in Lawrenceburg, he said.

The Fairfield School Board had a time for public comments on promoting Thalheimer to the position at its previous meeting and then unanimously approved his contract Thursday.

The small audience at the meeting applauded Thalheimer after Mike Morehouse, Fairfield school board president, welcomed Thalheimer and thanked him for the work he has already done for the district.

Thalheimer said after the meeting that his initial vision for the district is to smoothly transition the school system to the new teacher evaluation system.