We have one of the healthiest fund balances in the state and that doesn’t happen by accident.”

Dr. Tammy Champa

In a special meeting of the Owatonna School Board the morning of March 26, merely hours after Superintendent Dr. Tammy Champa interviewed as a finalist, the Owatonna board unanimously selected Champa to be their next superintendent.
Over the past two weeks, Champa was tapped as a finalist for both the Owatonna and Kasson-Manorville superintendent roles, making Champa’s intent to leave the district clear.
As to goals for the remainder of her time in the ISD 200 district, Champa cited the upcoming budget adjustments and the Pathways Program. At the Wednesday, March 26 meeting, Director of Finances and Operations Jennifer Seubert spoke to the need for the district to cut $1.5 million.
Despite those upcoming cuts, Champa was optimistic about the district’s finances: “We have one of the healthiest fund balances in the state and that doesn’t happen by accident.”
The Pathways Program was cited as both another goal of the rest of the year and as an accomplishment during Champa’s time at the district.
The program lays out pathways for various industries with classes and clubs that would align with a future career in that industry. Part of the program has been increased partnerships with outside companies, one of the first being an upcoming class with Allina clinic that will allow students a direct look into the healthcare industry and offer several certifications within the class itself.
Another accomplishment cited by Champa was the implementation of the house system in the middle school. The move grouped grade-level classrooms closer together to better group grades and reduce the distance students had to travel between classrooms. In addition to the new electronic hall pass system, Champa cited the revamp as a particular point of pride.
At the semifinalist interview with Owatonna, Champa referenced the long commute to Hastings from her Pine Island home and the extended amount of time she spends in her Hastings apartment as to why she was seeking a new position less than two years after coming to Hastings.
“There were a lot of things that play into that,” said Champa in an interview with the Hastings Journal.
Champa spoke to the decision to not relocate to Hastings at the beginning of this year: “We just never really landed.”
When posed the question if part of the reason for leaving had to do with difficulty in working with the district, the school board, or an ideological divide, Champa responded, “The overarching reason is what I said.”
The announcement of Champa’s leaving came the same day the school board sunset Policy 100: Equity and Diversity. Champa had previously refused to comment on the policy saying only, “It wouldn’t be the time that I would be looking at it,” at the Feb. 26 regular school board meeting.
At the semifinalist interview in Owatonna, however, Champa referenced challenges facing school districts at the federal level from special education funding to third party billing to, “making sure that inclusion, equity, those types of things are at the forefront of what we do.”
According to Champa, the move to sunset Policy 100 was not a factor in her leaving the district. Champa spoke to how the terms “have become divisive to some,” and that equity, “to me that just means we meet the needs of every student for education.”
When it was announced that Champa was leaving the district at the Wednesday, March 26 regular school board meeting, the superintendent received a standing ovation from the packed room, quipping, “I put out a statement every year that tells what to expect from your superintendent and there is a line that says, ‘expect to see her cry at least once’ so there you go.”
Champa begins at Owatonna on July 1, 2025.