VOTE: St. Cloud Times Difference Makers 2009

For the past 16 years, the Youth Service Project at the Area Learning Center in St. Cloud has adopted the St. Cloud Veteran's Medical Center as the site for our youth service project. This project pairs at-risk adolescents with area veterans as they decorate various buildings for 10 holidays throughout the school year. They also play bingo with the veterans in the Adult Day Health Care Program and make crafts and decorations for the veterans in the Community Living Center.

This has made a difference, not only in the lives of our local veterans and their families, but also in lives of the students that participate in the Youth Service Project. Many of the past graduates still participate during the school year. In fact, I participated in this last year and all have a wonderful time.

Kathy Lyerly and Mike Myers-Schleif are the facilitators of this program. They raise funds for the program (with student help) and plan the gifts and crafts that students make for the veterans.

Both the Youth Service Program and Kathy Lyerly and Mike Myers-Schleif have been nominated as St. Cloud Times Difference Makers 09 by the St. Cloud Times Editorial Board. The column appeared in the Local section in the St. Cloud Times today, December 3, 2009. Starting today and ending at midnight on December 1th, you can vote for both the Youth Service Program and for Kathy and Mike. You simply visit www.sctimes.com/differencemakers or www.sctimes.com/opinion and click on "Difference Makers." You can vote multiple times and for both programs. There are no prizes or rewards beyond recognition.

Let's recognize the wonderful things that the Youth Service Program and Kathy and Mike have provided for our district's students.

GOOD TO GREAT: LOOK TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD

“Absolutely ­NO Excuses”

LEADERSHIP/ATTITUDE/CULTURE

1. Get the right people (genetically coded for the cause) – Incredibly self-disciplined
2. Set extremely high expectations – create a culture driven by productive people
3. Do not sway from cause – a culture that educates all kids to perform
4. Incredible passion/love for what we do
5. It’s not about “us” as adults
6. Look inward for next leader; always work to develop the next superintendent
7. The right people actually motivate the leader
8. Don’t tolerate having people that de-motivate
9. Create a culture of rigor of a higher, harder standard; we can’t afford to fail kids

WORK FOR THE CAUSE

1. Be 100% successful (ex: all kids reading @ grade level by end of 3rd grade)
   Channel our energies – three circles (equates to a great life)
2. Passion and love for what we do as we align with our values.Make a distinctive contribution/difference; be the best in the world by accomplishing our goal to educate all students to grade level; be wired for this kind of work (discover what you’re made to do and pursue it by committing to excellence.
3. Work to have a robust resource engine that can fund us with our high expectation level (don’t choose this circle first).

The Power = When ALL three are present and make a living at it, we will be successful.

When we sustain all the above, we experience the greatness.

Forecast Released: Not Good!

The November Budget Forecast was released today and it shows a projected shortfall of $1.2 billion for the current biennium - 2010-2011. The shortfall is almost entirely due to lower than expected revenues which are now forecast to fall $1.156 billion below earlier estimates. The lower revenue projection is largely due to lower than expected income tax collections which plummeted by $827 million.

Compounding the bad news, the projected shortfall for the 2012-2013 biennium is now projected at $5.4 billion - without including an adjustment for inflation. The $5.4 billion figure includes repayment of the K-12 aid payment deferral but does not include repayment of the K-12 property tax recognition shift.

You can access the documents related to the forecast here at http://www.doer.state.mn.us/ forecast. You can watch the budget forecast press conference including reactions from Governor Pawlenty and legislative leaders here at http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/media/index.php?ls.

THANK YOU FOR GIVING!

All Staff,

I just wanted to drop you a note of appreciation for all you do, and especially for your work and dedication to children. I realize that I expressed my passion for giving to the United Way in these past few weeks, but I did it with the best of intentions. Please accept this as my "thank you" to you for giving during these difficult economic times. I am proud to be working for such a wonderful school district where employees understand that we are here to make a difference in the lives of children.

Sincerely,
Steve