by Dennis Dalman
Al Dahlgren of St. Joseph recently agreed to serve on the seven-member St. Cloud Area School Board (District 742) after member Bruce Hentges resigned due to health concerns.
Hentges, a recently retired St. Cloud resident, had served two full terms on the school board and was elected again last November.
Dahlgren has served three four-year terms on the board but failed to be elected in the at large-election last November.
Dahlgren will serve on the board until a special election is held sometime next fall to elect a candidate who could fill the remaining three years of Hentges’ term, which ends in January 2029.
Hentges
Hentges has been passionately dedicated for many years to the St. Cloud Area School District, as a board member, teacher, coach, activities director, transportation director, administrator at Tech and Apollo high schools and as principal of Westwood Elementary. He also helped found the District 742 Local Education and Activities Foundation and was its director from 2008 to 2023.
Dahlgren
Dahlgren is the owner of the Once Upon a Child retail store. In his times on the school board, he has served as its chair and vice chair and also as chair of its finance committee.
“I’ve balanced budgets without an excess operating levy in place, prioritized effective spending, and given back to our community by donating nearly double my board salary back to programs supporting our schools,” Dahlgren said during a pre-election Newsleaders interview.
Hentges acknowledged there are problems in the school district, one of which is a large number of families living in poverty, including about 600 students who experience homelessness.
“Teaching can be difficult even in communities that don’t face these challenges,” he said. “Our teachers do a lot more than teach! Our average test scores may not be as high as the average in communities that face fewer challenges, but our schools are excellent institutions of learning. Every day we see amazing students do amazing things.”
