The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota’s state superintendent of public instruction, to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in the U.S. Department of Education.
President Donald J. Trump nominated Baesler for the position in February. In her new role, Baesler will oversee the federal office responsible for shaping and supporting K-12 education policy across the United States.
“I am honored, humbled, and incredibly excited to have received this final vote of confidence from the U.S. Senate,” Baesler said. “I am especially grateful to North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer for their support, their leadership, and their commitment to ensuring that the confirmation process moved forward for nominees committed to public service.”
Baesler, 56, was elected in 2024 to her fourth four-year term as state superintendent. Gov. Kelly Armstrong will appoint her successor, who will have to run for election in 2026 to finish the time remaining in her term.
Baesler was among a group of 108 Trump administration appointees who were confirmed Tuesday in a single Senate vote. They are listed in Senate Resolution 412.
Baesler and other newly confirmed administration appointees cannot be officially sworn in and begin their jobs until the ongoing shutdown of the federal government ends. Baesler will retire from state government service to take her new job, and she will formally transition to her new role as soon as operational logistics allow, and she has ensured a smooth and effective transition.
Before she took office in January 2013, Baesler had a 24-year career in the Bismarck public schools as a vice principal, library media specialist, elementary teacher, and instructional assistant. A resident of Mandan, N.D., Baesler also served for nine years as an elected member of the Mandan school board, including seven years as its president.
She is the nation’s longest-serving state education chief, and a past president and former member of the board of directors of the Council of Chief State School Officers, which represents state education organizations across the United States.