Sen. Jason Heitkamp (R-Wyndmere)
BY: MARY STEURER
WYNDMERE, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – Jason Heitkamp, a candidate for superintendent of public instruction, is dead-set on ending public schools’ reliance on property taxes.
His argument: the North Dakota Constitution says “the legislative assembly shall provide for a uniform system of free public schools throughout the state.”
The way Heitkamp reads it, it’s the state’s job to fund schools — not the responsibility of local governments.
The former state senator acknowledged that the state superintendent, an administrative role, doesn’t have the authority to change the state’s tax structure. But he’s hopeful the office will give him the sway needed to get it done.
Right now, school districts are required to levy a property tax to fund education. That amount is supplemented by the state.
“To me, that’s unconstitutional,” Heitkamp said.
On the whole, the state covers about 70% of educational costs while local property taxes support another 23%, according to data published by the State Department of Public Instruction. The rest is covered by other revenue sources.
Heitkamp said, if elected, he would push the Legislature to make public schools fully funded by the state.
Either that, or he’ll pursue legal action through the North Dakota courts.
“Because then I will have the budget I need to go to the Supreme Court,” Heitkamp said.
Heitkamp is the only candidate for state superintendent who hasn’t worked in education in some way, shape or form. He’s worked a host of different jobs, including as a financial adviser, farmer, truck driver, insurance salesman and emergency medical technician.
The Wyndmere resident is not new to elected office, however. He served as a Republican state senator for District 26 from 2021-2022. During the 2021 legislative session, he introduced legislation to change school funding, which died in the Senate.
In 2022, he ran for District 25 of the House of Representatives, losing the Republican primary to Cindy Schreiber-Beck and Kathy Skroch.
He has previously served on the Richland County Commission, Bottineau City Council and Prairie Rose City Council.
Originally, Heitkamp was going to run this year for reelection to the Richland County Commission and prepare for his own retirement.
He decided to enter the race for superintendent out of frustration with the state of public schools, as well as frustration from watching North Dakotans struggle to keep up with rising property taxes.
“There’s nobody in this race that I feel has the backbone to do what needs to be done,” he said.
Heitkamp said incumbent Kirsten Baesler, who has been superintendent for over a decade, hasn’t taken bold enough action to address persistent issues like lagging student test scores and teacher pay.
“There’s no progress being made,” he said.
Another candidate for superintendent of public instruction, Jim Bartlett, has invoked the state constitution frequently in his campaign — not unlike Heitkamp.
In contrast to Heitkamp, however, Bartlett’s platform is faith-heavy, and argues that the constitution instructs the public school system to frame education around Christian ideas.
Heitkamp said he supports keeping the public school system secular, and criticized Bartlett’s interpretation of the constitution as incorrect.
“He’s not talking about following the constitution,” Heitkamp said. “He’s talking about following the Ten Commandments.”
According to Heitkamp, even if local school districts lose the authority to tax, they should have control over who they hire and what they teach.
When asked how he felt about school choice — the idea that the state should financially support alternatives to standard public K-12 education, potentially through a voucher system — Heitkamp said he didn’t have a strong opinion.
“In this role, I want to do what the Legislature wants me to do, I want to do what the school boards ask,” he said. “I don’t think it’s up to me to give that answer about how I feel about vouchers because to me, I want the kids to have the best education.”
While superintendent is a nonpartisan role, some candidates seek letters of support from political parties. Both incumbent Superintendent Kirsten Baesler and candidate Jim Bartlett sought endorsements at the North Dakota Republican Party Convention in April, for example. The delegation ultimately chose to support Bartlett.
Heitkamp said he didn’t seek an endorsement from either group. Though he served in the Legislature as a Republican, he considers himself an independent.
“I work with both sides,” he said.
A fourth candidate, Darko Draganic, also filed to join the superintendent race. In a January interview with the North Dakota Monitor, Draganic described himself as a former higher ed administrator who hopes to increase teacher pay, college readiness and graduation rates.
Draganic did not return requests for a follow-up interview.
The four candidates will face off in the primary on June 11. The two who receive the most votes will advance to the general election in November.
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