St. Cloud Area School District elections (2016)
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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.[1][2][3][4] Dahlgren won re-election and Haws, Segura-Schwartz, and Pollreis won seats on the board in the general election.[5] On top of choosing candidates for the board of education, citizens of the school district also voted on two bond referendum questions in the general election.
Dahlgren, Pollreis, and Studer participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
The St. Cloud Area Board of Education was guaranteed to welcome three newcomers to the board after the 2016 election. In 2014, the district saw one new member elected to the board. Click here to see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The St. Cloud Area Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and four seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on August 9, 2016.[2][3]
To run in this election, school board candidates had to be at least 21 years old, residents of the school district for at least 30 days before the date of the election, and able to vote in Minnesota. They also had to register with the school district by May 31, 2016. Any candidate wishing to withdraw their candidacy had to do so by June 2, 2016.[3]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by October 18, 2016. In the case of a primary, voters had to register by July 19, 2016.[6] Photo identification is not required to vote in Minnesota.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
General election
Results
| St. Cloud Area School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| 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 | ||
Candidates
Al Dahlgren 
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Scott Andreasen | Peter Hamerlinck | Shannon Haws
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| John Palmer | Jeff Pollreis
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Monica Segura-Schwartz
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Ric Studer | ||||
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Primary election
Results
| St. Cloud Area School District, At-large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
Candidates defeated in the primary
| Matt Doke | |
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Minnesota elections, 2016
The St. Cloud Area School District general election shared the ballot with the presidential election as well as elections for seats in the Minnesota State Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. It also shared the ballot with a bond referendum for the school district as well as Stearns County elections for county commissioners and soil and water supervisors.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Minnesota school board elections in 2016:[3][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| May 31, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| June 2, 2016 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| July 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| July 31, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance report due |
| August 9, 2016 | Primary election date |
| October 18, 2016 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 29, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | General election date |
| December 7, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance report due |
| January 2, 2017 | Board members take office |
Endorsements
The Service Employees International Union Local 284 endorsed challengers Shannon Haws, Jeff Pollreis, and Ric Studer.[10]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $2,636.21 and spent a total of $17,513.56 in the election, according to the St. Cloud Area School District.[11]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Dahlgren | $0.00 | $4,140.48 | ($4,140.48) |
| Scott Andreasen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Matt Doke | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Peter Hamerlinck | $1,436.21 | $1,436.21 | $0.00 |
| Shannon Haws | $300.00 | $561.92 | ($261.92) |
| John Palmer | $375.00 | $3,622.50 | ($3,247.50) |
| Jeff Pollreis | $525.00 | $7,752.45 | ($7,227.45) |
| Monica Segura-Schwartz | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ric Studer | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
Three new members were guaranteed to join the St. Cloud Area School District Board of Education in 2016. With one of the four incumbents whose seats were on the ballot running for re-election, three seats were left open. The incumbent won re-election, and three newcomers were added to the board.
In the district's 2014 election, one newcomer won election to the board by defeating an incumbent. All three incumbents whose terms were up for election that year ran to retain their seats. With one defeated, their success rate was 66.67 percent.
| School board election trends | |||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| St. Cloud Area School District | |||||
| 2016 | 2.25 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 75.00% | |
| 2014 | 2.33 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| Minnesota | |||||
| 2014 | 2.00 | 21.21% | 86.96% | 39.39% | |
| United States | |||||
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the election
Candidate forum
All eight candidates who advanced to the general election participated in a school board candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on October 10, 2016. You can watch a video of the forum below.
Bond referendum
In addition to selecting their next board members, voters in the school district were asked two bond referendum questions on November 8, 2016. The first bond referendum question passed, but the second did not.[12] The referendums asked for a total of $143.25 million to build a new high school and to renovate another school building.[13]
Question 1 appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | Shall the school board of Independent School District No. 742 (St. Cloud Area Public Schools) be authorized to issue its general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $104,500,000 to provide funds for the acquisition and betterment of a school site and school facilities, including reimbursement for the acquisition of land previously purchased for the school site, and the construction and equipping of a new Tech High School facility?
BY VOTING "YES" ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.[14] |
” |
| —St Cloud Area Board of Education (2016)[15] | ||
Question 2, which was contingent on Question 1 passing, appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | If School District Question 1 is approved, shall the school board of Independent School District No. 742 (St. Cloud Area Public Schools) also be authorized to issue its general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $38,750,000 to provide funds for the repair, renovation, equipping, upgrading and construction of improvements to the existing Apollo High School site and facility?
BY VOTING "YES" ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.[14] |
” |
| —St Cloud Area Board of Education (2016)[15] | ||
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Three candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Al Dahlgren, Jeff Pollreis, and Ric Studer.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Dahlgren stated:
| “ | 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.[14] | ” |
| —Al Dahlgren (September 21, 2016)[16] | ||
Pollreis said he hoped to achieve the following if elected to the school board:
| “ | Bring up student achievement levels, improving our communications within the district and parents. Balance the budget. Rebuild the trust that has been lost recently. Hold people, staff, Admin and students accountable.Work hard, Listen and be honest with people about all issues.[14] | ” |
| —Jeff Pollreis (September 25, 2016)[17] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Studer stated:
| “ | I hope to improve the boards relationship with the community, through greater transparency and approachability. I hope to add a working board element to our primarily strategic board.[14] | ” |
| —Ric Studer (September 21, 2016)[18] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Dahlgren's ranking | Pollreis' ranking | Studer's ranking | |
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
- See also: St. Cloud School District, Minnesota
The St. Cloud School District is located in Stearns County in central Minnesota. The county seat is St. Cloud. Stearns County was home to 154,708 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[19] The district was the 15th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 10,051 students.[20]
Demographics
Stearns County underperformed compared to Minnesota as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 25.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.2 percent of state residents. The median household income for Stearns County was $55,455, compared to $60,828 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty was 13.4 percent, while it was 11.5 percent statewide.[19]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'St. Cloud Area School District' 'Minnesota'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| St. Cloud Area School District | Minnesota | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: ST CLOUD AREA SD # 742," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 St. Cloud Area School District, "School Board Members," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 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
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar: 2016 Election Dates," accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Do I Need To Bring ID?" accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: Stearns County," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 Minnesota School Districts with a Primary Elections Calendar," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ Service Employees International Union Local 284, "SEIU-endorsed Candidates Do Well In Tues., Aug. 9 Primary," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ St. Cloud Area School District, "Election Information and Results," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 742 - ST CLOUD AREA," accessed November 14, 2016
- ↑ St. Cloud Area School District 742, "School Board Approves 2016 Bond Referendum," accessed August 3, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 St. Cloud Area School District, "Resolution Relating To The Issuance Of School Building Bonds And Calling An Election Thereon," accessed August 3, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Al Dahlgren responses," September 21, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Jeff Pollreis responses," September 25, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Ric Studer responses," September 21, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 United States Census Bureau, "Stearns County, Minnesota," accessed June 28, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Election Results and Statistics," accessed August 1, 2014
| 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 |
