By: Michael Achterling
Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday appointed West Fargo School District Business Manager Levi Bachmeier to be North Dakota’s next state superintendent of public instruction.
Bachmeier will begin the position after outgoing Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is sworn in as an assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Education.
Since 2019, Bachmeier has served as business manager of the West Fargo School District, the state’s fastest-growing school district. He was policy director and education policy adviser for Gov. Doug Burgum from 2016-2019. He previously taught high school social studies for two years with Teach for America and spent a summer as a policy analyst fellow with the U.S. Department of Education.
Bachmeier, a West Fargo native, has a bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He serves on the State Board of Public School Education, the State Board of Career and Technical Education and the State Board of Higher Education. He plans to resign from those boards prior to becoming state superintendent.
Armstrong credited Bachmeier with supporting innovation and accountability in K-12 schools.
“Levi has established himself as a trusted voice and highly capable leader in K-12 education over the past decade,” Armstrong said during a press conference Tuesday.
Bachmeier would need the approval of voters during the 2026 election to fulfill the remainder of Baesler’s term, which expires in 2028. Superintendent of public instruction is a nonpartisan post, but candidates typically seek a letter of support from a political party.
“I would say that you can probably expect news on the campaign side in relatively short order,” Bachmeier said.
Bachmeier said Armstrong is a Republican, his former boss, former Gov. Doug Burgum, is a Republican and he previously served in a number of other Republican focused roles.
“We have Republicans and Democrats who send their children to our schools and each and every one of them deserves a great experience that is balanced,” he said. “I’m going to work really hard to make sure it’s nonpartisan.”
When asked if he supported school voucher programs or tax dollars going to private schools, Bachmeier said he supports a “robust” conversation on ensuring any child receives a great education in the state.
“That means that any policy needs to support and impact all students,” he said. “I think there is always more that can be done to continue to promote choice within the public system.”
He added he appreciated Armstrong vetoing what he considered a school voucher bill during the 2025 legislative session that catered to a “narrow subset” of North Dakotans.
The state superintendent supervises elementary and secondary education, including developing course standards and student assessment. The superintendent also is a member of the Board of University and School Lands, which oversees the Common Schools Trust Fund, valued at more than $7.7 billion.
The state superintendent position pays $147,978 per year.
Baesler was confirmed Oct. 7 by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in the U.S. Department of Education. However, the federal government shutdown is delaying her start date.
