Dr. Cory Steiner, who serves as superintendent of the Northern Cass School District, has been selected by the Fargo Public Schools (FPS) School Board to be the upcoming Superintendent. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, Dr. Steiner will be replacing Dr. Rupak Gandhi as head of the FPS district. In 2000, he began his career as a social studies teacher before becoming a principal in Des Lacs. He became principal of West Fargo High School in 2011 before moving into his current position in Northern Cass.
To select Dr. Steiner, members of the board met on February 28th at 8:30 AM, voting using a forced ranking where 1st place gave the most points and 3rd place gave the least. Ultimately, Steiner won with 15 points, and the decision to choose Steiner was accepted by the board with a 9-0 vote. On Wednesday, February 26th, media representatives from each high school and the Fargo Forum were invited to Agassiz school to interview Steiner.
During the media time, Steiner answered questions regarding pressing issues across the Fargo Public Schools. One of the biggest issues was regarding EBR and how Steiner planned to address the grading system that FPS is currently transitioning into. Steiner explained some similarities with the standards-based system that his school uses and the system that FPS is rolling into. “When we made the shift in our district, some teachers pushed back saying that some kids are gonna find loopholes and not turn in things. Well, they’re already doing that,” Steiner said regarding the EBR concerns about disincentivizing student productivity.
“A 91% can mean different things across each classroom. What we want to say is, this is what you know and here’s what you were able to build on to prove that.” Steiner also adds that he believes a transcript should tell a personal story to each student, looking at a ‘portfolio model’ where students upload their own evidence to prove their learning. “I had a 6th grade teacher whose test scores were 28% above the state average because all he did was give feedback… we’ve actually reduced the workload of teachers because they won’t have to grade everything to go toward a final.”
Another pressing issue was regarding legislation – in 2023, the North Dakota state legislature passed many controversial anti-transgender laws, including one that would force teachers to out transgender students to their parents. Current Superintendent Dr. Gandhi chose to not enforce these laws in Fargo Public Schools, citing student safety and federal law. Many have had concerns whether the new Superintendent would or would not begin to enforce these laws. “I’m not a fan of this legislation, and I’ve let the governor’s office know that,” Steiner commented. “However, if they threaten funding, we have to weigh it out. The question is, how do we figure out how to get this legislation changed – because they’re making this legislation without asking the people they’re making it about.”
A controversial point in Steiner’s record is his having received a DUI in 2017; he was driving while under the influence of twice the legal amount of alcohol. Steiner assured parents and teachers that this was a one-time mistake that would never happen again. “I called all the board members the next day, and apologized to them. I went and stood in front of my student body [and teachers] and apologized to them, and I asked them to give me a chance – I’ve proven myself in the past to be somebody who stands by their word, and when I make mistakes, I make amends for it.” Steiner added that the hardest part was having this conversation with his wife and two kids. “Mistakes are mistakes when you don’t learn from it, but they’re learning experiences when you do.”
Steiner comes from a district that is much less diverse than Fargo Public Schools. However, he assures FPS students, he’s open-minded. “If there is concern by our learners, the worst thing we can do is solve it by only the adults.” He adds in that the most important way to close the achievement gap among socioeconomic classes involves intervention and connection. “What we had our teachers do is dot each student that they felt connected to. We found, though, that 40% of students were not connected to an adult. If you don’t feel connected and the staff doesn’t connected, all the other stuff won’t make a difference.”
When asked why he uses the word “disruptor” in his Twitter bio, Steiner had this to say: “We have the most gifted generation of learners that think differently. Yet we’re continuing to work in a system that was developed for 150 years ago, for an economy that doesn’t exist anymore. I’m a disruptor because I believe the system has left far too many students behind, and it’s devalued teachers. We can’t do things just because that’s the way it’s always been done.”
