The Dark Side of Our Superintendent of Public Instruction

North Dakota State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kirsten Baesler. It was Baesler who first propagated the lie that the Common Core State Standards were being eliminated. (Photo via screenshot.)

She is a smooth politician. A very important person in political circles at our state’s capitol described her to me as “polished”. But on Monday North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kirsten Baesler, gave a glimpse into a side of herself the public just does not see very often, if ever. She was angry.

Unfortunately, her display of displeasure at the House Education Committee hearing for House Bill 1432 was no surprise to those of us who have followed Baesler. She has a history of a temper and there are court records to prove it. In addition to that, she also has a history of dishonesty.

One person expressed to me how surprised they were to see Baesler behave the way she did in the hearing. They said that if they were on the committee they would have asked her to leave. I watched some video footage from it and I must admit that I had never seen her so forceful and upset before. I suppose putting her credibility in jeopardy by exposing her lies in relation to the Common Core State Standards wasn’t exactly a comfortable thing for the head of the Department of Public Instruction.

From the start of her presentation to the House Education Committee, Baesler just couldn’t seem to refrain from lies and misrepresentations. In an effort to portray the current “Draft 2 Standards” as North Dakota standards, Baesler completely misrepresented the truth and even showed her hypocrisy on the issue.

From her own testimony, Baesler explains that the committees responsible for the “new standards” met a total of eight days from June through November. Hardly sufficient time to write new standards “by North Dakotan’s for North Dakotan’s.” Yet, from her testimony, you’d think that the committees could have scrapped Common Core altogether and started over from scratch had they wanted to. No rational person would believe that to even be a consideration given the time constraints.

At one point in her testimony, Baesler even refers to the committees “updating” the standards. An update is a far cry from a “new” set of standards.

An analysis of the Draft 2 Standards in comparison with the Common Core show us that all references to the Common Core State Standards have been dropped from the introductory pages to the Draft 2 Standards. Yet, the standards themselves are virtually unchanged. They’re still Common Core. We call that deception.

Perhaps the most ridiculous part of Baesler’s testimony came when she criticized supporters of HB 1432 for wanting to adopt the “out-of-state” and “East Coast” Massachusetts’ standards “wholesale”. She must have forgotten that it was her that worked to adopt (and retain) the unproven Common Core State Standards “wholesale”. Which, by the way, were not written by North Dakotan’s either. Funny how she intentionally misrepresents that too.

But through it all, Baesler was visibly upset. One person said she was ticked off (they used a different word) and came across as a witch (they also used a different word). No, it’s not a comfortable thing to have your lies exposed in a public meeting. Especially when that meeting is with a group of legislators considering a bill that would change the nature of your very own job.

I suppose the big question now is whether the House Education Committee even cares now that they’ve personally witnessed the dark side of our Superintendent of Public Instruction?

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About T. Arthur Mason 874 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.