Kirsten Baesler Superintendent | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Levi Bachmeier, the new State School Superintendent of North Dakota, began his tenure by announcing a plan to visit all 165 operating school districts in the state. He started this initiative at Marmarth, the smallest district in southwestern North Dakota.
"Every student, regardless if they attend our largest or smallest district, deserves a quality education,” Bachmeier said. “I'm excited to kick off my tour of North Dakota school districts at the state's smallest school district in western North Dakota."
Bachmeier is scheduled to visit Marmarth, a community with about 100 residents and only four students enrolled this fall, on December 8. The state currently has twelve districts with fewer than fifty students.
He explained that his statewide tour aims to gather input from educators on how to improve educational outcomes across 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,” Bachmeier 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 officially took office at 8 a.m. Monday following Kirsten Baesler’s retirement. Baesler was recently appointed assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Governor Kelly Armstrong appointed Bachmeier as superintendent on October 21. Bachmeier plans to run next year for election to serve out Baesler’s term until 2028.
Previously, Bachmeier worked as a high school social studies teacher and coach at Crazy Horse School on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He later served as policy advisor for Governor Doug Burgum on K–12 education and eventually led the governor’s policy team.
In 2019, he became business manager for West Fargo Public Schools—his hometown district—where he improved financial management by raising its Moody’s credit rating to a state record high and restructuring budgets to support teacher pay increases without raising property taxes. He also played a key role in passing a nearly $100 million bond issue for school facilities.
Bachmeier graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a degree in social studies education and holds an educational finance certificate from Georgetown University.
He lives with his wife Rachel, daughters Linden and Roslin, and their rescue dog Sunka. The family enjoys hiking in the Badlands and attending local high school events.
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