6 semi-finalists selected for Kasson-Mantorville superintendent position

The Kasson-Mantorville School Board Monday night unanimously selected six semi-finalists to interview for the school district’s superintendent position. One of those semi-finalists, Dr. Tamara Champa, superintendent of the Hastings Public Schools, has been named a finalist for the superintendent position in Owatonna and is expected to be interviewed Tuesday.
The other semi-finalists are:
Dr. Daniel Edwards, Executive Director of Academic Services, Prior Lake — Savage Area Schools
Beth Giese, Superintendent, Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools
Dr. Steven Heil, Superintendent, St. James Public Schools
Ashley Kaplan, Director of Student and Staff Support Systems/Director of Teaching and Learning, Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools
Nate Walbruch, Superintendent, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Public Schools
The school board was scheduled to begin interviewing candidates on Wednesday afternoon. Additional dates for interviewing candidates are Friday, March 21, and Friday, March 28. All interviews will begin at 4 p.m. in the Community Forum Room at Kasson-Mantorville High School. The interview sessions are open to the public. To ensure a level playing field for all candidates, the interviews will not be livestreamed.
The semi-finalists were selected from a pool of 18 applicants. When the application deadline was concluded a team of service providers assigned to the K-M School District by the Minnesota School Boards Association reviewed all applications and rated them on a five-point scale to see who might be rising to the top.
The MSBA then did a full vetting of those candidates as well as pre-screening interviews. The MSBA then recommended a list of candidates they believed would be suited to Kasson-Mantorville.
K-M board members also were given the applications of all applicants to review.
The final decision on which of the applicants was selected was left to the local school board.
Once the K-M board has interviewed all the semi-finalists they will decide which of the candidates they wish to call back for a second round of interviews. After the second round, they will select one lone finalist who will be offered the position subject to successful contract negotiations.
The board has scheduled a special meeting for 4 p.m. on Monday, March 31, to conduct reference checks, hold the second round of interviews, select the lone finalist and set the negotiation process.
Assuming contract negotiations are successful, the board will approve the employment contract of the new superintendent at the regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m. on April 7, with the individual beginning their duties on July 1.
The board began the search for a superintendent in February following the resignation of Supt. Ted Ihns effective at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The district contracted with the MSBA to help them in their search.
For more information, contact: School Board Chair Mark Torkelson at mark.torkelson@komets.k12.mn.us.