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Al Dahlgren
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Al Dahlgren is an at-large representative on the St. Cloud Area Board of Education in Minnesota. He was first elected to the board in November 2012.[1] He unsuccessfully ran for a seat prior to that in November 2010.[2]
Dahlgren won another term in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.[3]
Dahlgren participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Biography
Dahlgren owns and operates the Once Upon a Child retail store in Waite Park, Minnesota. Previously, he worked as a retail franchise field operations manager and regional manager for the Winmark Corporation. Dahlgren also worked in store management with JCPenney. He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management from the University of Minnesota. He has four children who all attended school in the St. Cloud district.[4][5]
Elections
2016
Four of the seven seats on the St. Cloud Area School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Al Dahlgren initially faced eight challengers: Scott Andreasen, Matt Doke, Peter Hamerlinck, Shannon Haws, John Palmer, Jeff Pollreis, Monica Segura-Schwartz, and Ric Studer. Because more than eight candidates filed to run in the election, a primary election was held on August 9, 2016. Doke was defeated in the primary election after receiving the least number of votes. The other eight candidates advanced to the general election.[3][6][7][8] Dahlgren won re-election and Haws, Segura-Schwartz, and Pollreis won seats on the board in the general election.[9]
Results
| St. Cloud Area School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Shannon Haws |
16.65% | 17,965 |
| Monica Segura-Schwartz |
13.70% | 14,780 |
| Jeff Pollreis |
13.49% | 14,563 |
| Al Dahlgren Incumbent |
13.06% | 14,089 |
| Peter Hamerlinck | 13.01% | 14,043 |
| John Palmer | 11.01% | 11,886 |
| Scott Andreasen | 10.08% | 10,876 |
| Ric Studer | 9.00% | 9,714 |
| Total Votes | 107,916 | |
| Source: St. Cloud Area School District, "Board of Education Minutes November 17, 2016," accessed December 22, 2016 | ||
| St. Cloud Area School District, At-large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Shannon Haws |
16.15% | 2,106 |
| Peter Hamerlinck |
13.57% | 1,769 |
| Monica Segura-Schwartz |
12.32% | 1,607 |
| John Palmer |
12.08% | 1,575 |
| Al Dahlgren Incumbent |
11.27% | 1,470 |
| Jeff Pollreis |
10.98% | 1,432 |
| Ric Studer |
9.77% | 1,274 |
| Scott Andreasen |
8.63% | 1,126 |
| Matt Doke | 5.22% | 681 |
| Total Votes | 13,040 | |
| Source: St. Cloud Area School District, "Official Results: Primary Election - August 9, 2016," accessed October 14, 2016 | ||
Funding
Dahlgren reported no contributions but $4,140.48 in expenditures to the St. Cloud Area School District, which left his campaign with $4,140.48 in debt in the election.[10]
Endorsements
Dahlgren received no official endorsements in the election.
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Les Green |
21.9% | 21,267 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cynthia R. Harner |
21.4% | 20,800 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dennis Whipple |
20.6% | 20,011 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Dahlgren |
17.8% | 17,307 | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel J. Brill | 17.6% | 17,043 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 624 | |
| Total Votes | 97,052 | |||
| Source: Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014 | ||||
2010
| St. Cloud School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
26.3% | 16,812 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
19.8% | 12,669 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck |
15.8% | 10,095 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Dahlgren | 14.5% | 9,259 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frances Ann Kayona | 12.5% | 8,006 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vic Schulz | 10.4% | 6,649 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 388 | |
| Total Votes | 63,878 | |||
| Source: Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014 | ||||
| St. Cloud School District, At-Large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2010 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
27.1% | 5,051 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
21.6% | 4,030 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck |
13.8% | 2,576 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Dahlgren | 12.3% | 2,294 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vic Schulz | 9.6% | 1,783 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frances Ann Kayona | 8.7% | 1,624 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf | 7% | 1,311 | |
| Total Votes | 18,669 | |||
| Source: Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Allen Dahlgren participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 21, 2016:
| “ | I would like to see a continued effort to improve student achievement for all students. I would like to see an expanded offering in Career and Technical education options. I would like to see improved student activities programs. I would like to spearhead writing and implementing a stronger procurement policy ensuring best value for district purchasing.[11][12] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Minnesota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | We are in the business of educating students. we should be focused on allocating dollars to receive the greatest return in the form of student achievement.[12] | ” |
| —Allen Dahlgren (September 21, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. We are not able to approve Charter Schools at the District level. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. In a district with a large immigrant population, standardized tests do not communicate the progress students are making over the course of the year. Testing needs to communicate both where the student is currently, and how far they have progressed. Students who come to us will test below grade level although they may be making more than a years progress each year. Let alone, some kids are better test takers than others. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Minnesota has not adopted the full Common Core curriculum. I am in favor of states setting the standards with less Federal intrusion. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. There is no way to accurately measure the effectiveness of teachers on a mass scale teacher for this purpose. There are too many factors at play. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Private schools are not accountable to the same standards as public schools. Parents should always have the option to send their child to private schools, but not at taxpayer expense. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| To remove students who have exhibited behaviors which represent a clear and present danger to staff and students. Suspension and alternative facilities should be considered first. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers All of the above are very important. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Al Dahlgren' 'St. Cloud Area School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: ST CLOUD AREA SD # 742," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ St. Cloud Area School District, "School Board," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Email communication with Al Dahlgren," September 19, 2016
- ↑ St. Cloud Area School District, "School Board Members," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 School District Elections Guide," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 742 - ST CLOUD AREA," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 742 - ST CLOUD AREA," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ St. Cloud Area School District, "Election Information and Results," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Allen Dahlgren's responses," September 21, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 St. Cloud Area School District Elections | |
| Stearns County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | Primary election: August 9, 2016 General election: November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Al Dahlgren • Scott Andreasen • Matt Doke • Peter Hamerlinck • Shannon Haws • John Palmer • Jeff Pollreis • Monica Segura-Schwartz • Ric Studer |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
