Gina Acevedo Projected Winner of St. Cloud Area District 742 School Board Member at Large Race

Originally published 6:45 a.m. November 5th, 2025

Updated 9:41 a.m. November 5th, 2025

(KNSI) — The votes for the St. Cloud Area School District 742 Board Member at Large are in, and Gina Acevedo is the projected winner.

The latest results from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office were reported at 9:37 a.m. Wednesday morning, and with 100% of precincts reporting, Acevedo leads Al Dahlgren by 174 votes. Tallys show Acevedo with 2,583 votes, or 39.4% of the total. Dahlgren received 2,409 votes, or 36.74%. Candidate Peter Hamerlinck and write-in candidates so far have secured a combined 1,564 votes, or 23.35%.

The three were running to fill out the remainder of the term for Bruce Hentges, who retired in February. Dahlgren, a former school board member, ran for re-election last year but lost by a slim margin. Upon Hentges’s retirement, the board asked Dahlgren to hold the seat on an interim basis.

Acevedo grew up as a child in a military family and moved around the world at a young age. She would eventually settle in the Tampa, Florida, area before coming home to central Minnesota, where her parents grew up. She works for CentraCare and has a family of her own. Acevedo believes being a parent is one of her greatest strengths as a candidate. “I think it’s really important to have a parent perspective on the board, and knowing that any decision that I may make as a school board member directly impacts my kids.”

The results are not considered official until the school board meets on November 10th to certify the results.

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