Allen Dahlgren

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.My name is Allen Dahlgren. I am 49 years old and live in St. Joseph on Little Watab Lake. I have three boys who attend district 742 schools. All three have attended Kennedy and North Jr. High. Currently I have one at North and two at Apollo. I grew up in Roseville, MN and attended Mounds View schools graduating from Mounds View high school in 1977. After high school I attended Lakewood community college, transferring to the University of Minnesota graduating with a degree in Business. I am currently a single dad who shares custody of our boys 50-50 with my ex-wife. Single parenthood is prevalent and it creates a dynamic that someone on the board needs to understand. I have a business background. I spent 20 years working in different management positions with the JCPenney Company, beginning in the Twin Cities, and later in Minot, North Dakota and then here in St. Cloud. In 1993, while still working at JCPenney, I, with my wife opened the Once Upon A Child store in St. Cloud. Together, Rhonda and I built this store into one of the Top performing Once Upon A Child stores in the country. In 1998, I left my Job at JCPenney and took a new job as a field operations manager for Play It Again Sports. I covered the northwest region, CA, OR, WA, ID, UT and CO. I held this position for 6 years and then was promoted to Regional manager, overseeing the field staff for the West half of the US and Canada. Last year I was promoted to a position where I oversee the field operations staff for all 400 Play It Again Sports stores in the US and Canada. In my job, I analyze all aspects of store and regional management from financial to operational and develop prioritized strategies to improve operations.

What experience do you have that prepares you for public office?
Over the years I have developed some pretty thick skin. In addition see above and see below.

Why you decided to run for this office
My interest in running began on the subject of communication. I will discuss the issue in the next question, but basically, I had issues with getting communication about my sons performance. I had a teacher tell me flat out that he would not communicate with me in any other way than through a parent folder. The problem for me was that I had never seen "the parent folder". The farther up the ladder I went, the less seriously I felt I was taken. All I wanted was an e-mail if my child fell behind. I am not a nut, and I am not stupid, but I was treated as though I was. My inquiries were taking the district leadership out of their comfort zone and the goal was not to address the issue but rather to silence the problem. I started to wonder what else was going on so I began to research. Digging through old school board minutes. Attending school board meetings. Talking to other parents. Reading articles on education, here and throughout the state. Studying the district budget. Reading state materials on school finance. Just trying to get a grip on what this behemoth was. The more I dig, the more I find, good and bad, and the more I want to be a part of what I think can be some very positive changes for the district. I find some things very frustrating. The fact there is never any dissention in the school board meetings. Doesn't anyone ever have a difference of opinion? Looking at the school board minutes for the last two years tells me no. 7-0 vote after 7-0 vote after 7-0 vote. That is not right. I have been a little frustrated with some of the direction the board has taken. I have felt some things they have done were a little less than upright (i.e. I question their approach to Q-Comp, I question the motives behind the integration program funding). The questionable use of some of these funding programs, in the long run, ends up biting the district and the taxpayers in the butt. I also think it is very important to have people from more walks of life than just education on the school board. The current board is made up mainly of education long timers. Having a different background gives one a different perspective of how things can be achieved. Sometimes it is good to get out of the fish bowl.

 

Top three issues you would tackle, if elected. - This is a no brainer. The world has changed and District 742 has not kept up. The makeup of households is much different than it was even just a few years ago. Single parent households, two income households, both of which are stressed for time make up a large portion of this district. I have a strong belief that the most valuable product a business can produce and market is time. People will pay for time. They will pay ridiculous prices for anything that saves them time. I think a similar rule applies to the schools. The attitudes of parents are still very supportive and the intentions are good, they want the best for their kids and they will go to great lengths to provide for their children. If they are communicated with I believe they will support their children to the best of their ability. For the vast majority of parents, the #1 impediment to communication is time. It has to fit their schedule. If it does, they will become the schools biggest asset. If it is difficult and time consuming they will ignore it. There are several districts that have taken a much more aggressive approach to this communication factor and have done so with great success. In this electronic age, there is no excuse for not providing the communication parents need on a daily basis in a format that fits their schedules, and it should be a simple process for the schools and parents. Communication needs not be difficult. Parents should be able to find out on a daily basis:

Communication/Parental involvement

• What assignments their children were assigned.
• When those assignments are due.
• If they were turned in on time.
• The grade assigned to the work.
• Behavioral issues involving their child.
• Nutritional information concerning their child.
• Attendance issues involving their child.
• Healthcare issues attended to in school.

This communication should not be more difficult for the classroom teacher, it should be easier. There are any number of software programs available which serve to simplify this process while promoting a culture of communication. SmartWeb is an example, but there is better. It is the in the best interest of the schools and the schoolboards to provide a simplified system which promotes parental involvement. The return on investment is limitless.Funding

A word about my stance on the levy.

Question #1 - My position is 100% in favor of passing this question. The impact on the district if it does not pass would be devastating. The cuts would be deep, the effect would be demoralizing and the impact would be long lasting. I may want to rethink my running for school board if this question doesn't pass. 

Question #2 - Passage of question number 2 is something I am in favor of. Extra curricular programming is very important in schools. Parents and students have greater satisfaction in the educational experience when these programs are offered. This will not only serve to improve their experience, but should help to improve attendance numbers in subsequent years.

The money directed to early childhood and elementary counselors are also monies well spent. Identifying needs early, saves problems down the road and will enhance test scores and learning experiences for the school children and their parents.

Question #3 -While the administration did repackage the levy questions I am not so sure there is enough accountability on the part of the school district or the school board to warrant this large tax increase. Question 3 is a big increase and these are tough economic times. In the past the board has put in writing specific plans for the money and pledged it would not be diverted from those plans for the duration of the levy. In this case they have not been so specific. My greatest fear is quite simple, with a large amount of dollars flowing into the district budget, with no hard-line stated on where those funds can go, and no promise they will not be diverted elsewhere, I fear that during the next round of contract negotiations it will be much to easy to award an unjustifiably large increase in salary and benefits. I think if that money is there, the union will take a much harder line in their position and the board will find it easier to cave which will in turn be a public relations nightmare for the district. While I believe the intentions are honest and good, with the vague accountability and the unwillingness of the current board to make hard commitments as they have in the past, I have to agree with the St. Cloud Times and give a "depressing nay" on question #3

Changing demographics - It is no secret that St. Cloud is becoming more and more socially and economically diverse. This diversity poses many challenges for the community and the district. It is the role of the state, the county, the city, administration and school board to work in cooperation to see to it that the needs of these diverse cultures are understood and programs are in place to champion the education and futures of racially and economically diverse students. At the same time, the schools need to continue programming, which challenges and prepares traditional students. Meeting the needs of all students is critical to maintaining enrollment in district 742. Steady or growing enrollment is critical to the success of the district. If the public perceives that the balance leans too far in either direction, problems will arise, enrollment will decline, and funding will become an even greater challenge amplifying the challenges we already face