About

My team has a battle plan and it starts with following the North Dakota Constitution. We need to focus on getting back to the basics of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Additionally, schools will teach a higher standard of health and fitness. We will work with school boards and administrators to offer more transparency. Based on our priorities, educators will see a stabilizing of their retirement plan and we will make sure that the educators are paid accordingly. Lastly, we will focus on children having higher test scores and higher graduation rates.

My name is Jason Heitkamp and I am running for North Dakota Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction. I need your vote in November.

Going Back to the North Dakota Constitution…

ARTICLE VIII EDUCATION

The North Dakota Constitution clearly states in Article 8, Section One…

Section 1. A high degree of intelligence, patriotism, integrity and morality on the part of every voter in a government by the people being necessary in order to insure the continuance of that government and the prosperity and happiness of the people, the legislative assembly shall make provision for the establishment and maintenance of a system of public schools which shall be open to all children of the state of North Dakota and free from sectarian control. This legislative requirement shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of North Dakota.

The North Dakota Constitution also states in Article 8, Section Two…

Section 2. The legislative assembly shall provide for a uniform system of free public schools throughout the state, beginning with the primary and extending through all grades up to and including schools of higher education, except that the legislative assembly may authorize tuition, fees and service charges to assist in the financing of public schools of higher education

ARTICLE X FINANCE AND PUBLIC DEBT

Finally, The North Dakota Constitution states in Article 10, Section One…

Section 1. The legislative assembly shall be prohibited from raising revenue to defray the expenses of the state through the levying of a tax on the assessed value of real or personal property.

Together, we are going back to the North Dakota Constitution and we are going to follow the North Dakota Constitution again, starting with the Election of 2024. The first part of the Battle Plan is reducing your property tax 45% to 55% with your vote in November.

Safety and Security…

Safety and security of the children begins at home. I told my kids at an early age, “If someone tells you not to tell your parents… You tell your parents immediately. Later we are told that protecting our most precious children in a school… by any means possible, will scare them and affect them detrimentally.

Under my administration, safety and security of our most precious children will be a priority.

Transparency and Budgets…

Politicians make a living out of telling you about… Transparency… Fiscal responsibility… Open door policies… and doing what is best for the children… this is what you the voter want to hear from those representing you.

And yet, the voters continue to elect politicians that do not want in any way, shape, or form to be transparent, to be fiscally responsible, to have an open door policy, and, finally, to do what is best for the children. With your help, that scenario is going to change with your vote in November.

Review Pay and Retirement…

If the teacher’s pension was a train, it would be running and running until it completely runs off the tracks… Toot! Toot! Don’t touch it say the Lobbyists… Don’t touch it say the unelected bureaucrats… And yet, From 2004 to 2019, the state of North Dakota had missed over $117 million in actuarially determined employer contribution for TFFR. For nearly 20 years, North Dakota had failed to adequately fund its major state pension system.

And yes, despite a decade-long bull run, pensions in North Dakota never fully recovered from the 2008 recession. It’s clear… that managers can’t invest their way out… unless there are significant changes in policy, the pension train is going to go off the tracks. To have any hope of recovery… elected leadership needs to address the problems that hindered the state’s pension recovery in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. The legislature, specifically the Employee Benefits Programs Committee, should consider implementing serious pension reforms.

We are at a crossroads and our teachers are at risk in retirement… My administration will have the discussions that are needed to fix the retirement issues. The process of kicking the can down the road is going to change with your vote in November.

Healthy Lifestyles…

Physical education is more than just endurance, strength, flexibility, and body composition.

A) physical education benefits to school children include; weight control, better sleeping patterns, a sense of wellbeing, better mood, less fatigue, increased physical and mental efficiency, and it also helps in the development of fundamental gross and motor skills affecting many important skills including reading and writing.

B) Physical education can also have a positive impact on future medical conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

The priority for the children of a healthier lifestyle is going to begin with your vote in November.

Make Learning Great Again…

And lastly, together we will be re-instituting the ability of children to dream, to have goals and achieve the life they want to live. It is the young that have ideas and Ideals. It is the young that will change the world. K-12 is the battleground for the future of our country. The teaching of CRT, DEI, and ESG, or whatever they change the name to next week, will end with your vote in November.

Right now, Scores are down. Graduation rates are down. Our schools are on probation from the federal government.

It is time the parents and the taxpayers get involved.