Kirsten Baesler Superintendent | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Levi Bachmeier, the new State School Superintendent of North Dakota, began his first day in office with a commitment to visit all 167 school districts across the state. He announced that he will start his tour at Marmarth, the state's smallest school district, located in Slope County. The visit is scheduled for December 8.
"Every student, regardless if they attend our largest or smallest district, deserves a quality education,” Bachmeier said. “I'm excited to kick of my tour of North Dakota school districts at the state's smallest school district in western North Dakota."
According to the most recent enrollment report, Marmarth has only four students. There are currently twelve school districts in North Dakota with fewer than fifty students.
Bachmeier stated that the purpose of his tour is to gather input from educators about how to advance educational quality throughout North Dakota. "The best ideas to improve education come from listening to parents, teachers, and students out where the learning is occurring -- in our classrooms and communities,” he said. “I'm excited to see the great things happening in all corners of our state as we work together to lead the nation with the best schools in America.”
Bachmeier assumed office on Monday following Kirsten Baesler's retirement. Baesler has taken a position as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Governor Kelly Armstrong appointed Bachmeier as state superintendent on October 21. Bachmeier intends to run next year for election to complete Baesler’s term through 2028.
Throughout his career, Bachmeier has held various roles supporting youth education and development. He started as a high school social studies teacher and coach at Crazy Horse School in Wanblee, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Later, he worked as a policy advisor focused on K–12 education for Governor Doug Burgum and became director of Burgum’s policy team.
In 2019, Bachmeier returned to West Fargo—where he grew up—to serve as business manager for West Fargo Public Schools. In this role, he improved fiscal management by increasing the district’s Moody’s credit rating—the highest among North Dakota districts—and restructuring budgets so teacher salaries could rise without raising property taxes. He also played a key part in securing voter approval for nearly $100 million in bonds for facilities expansion.
Bachmeier graduated from Concordia College with a degree in social studies education and holds an educational finance certificate from Georgetown University.
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