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June 6, 2013
Ramona Sentinel
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Jacob
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requested by wildlife agencies. Piva said the planning group can oversee the creek bed cleanup west of Seventh Street. When Piva was asked how the creek will be cleaned out, he responded, “Let’s just be very, very clear — there will be no tractors going into any sensitive areas at all.” Volunteers will handclear trash and invasive, non-native species, and county staff will flag such plants before the cleanup begins, said Piva. Both he and Jacob, who has been a supporter of the creek cleanup, noted they are following the guidelines set by wildlife agencies and want to do everything according to law.
Agreement
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“We want this to be an annual or ongoing event. We don’t want the creek to get clogged,” Piva said. Jacob told the steering committee that the county will not forget the Santa Maria Creek Greenway Park and horse trail plans.
“Ultimately when it’s cleaned up and the trail’s in place, it’s going to reduce the undesirable elements that are making their home in this creek bed,” said Jacob. Vernal pools in downtown Ramona were a focus of Carol Fowler’s Economic Development
Sentinel photo/Karen Brainard
Carol Fowler, center and Nancy Roy, right, listen as Elaine Lyttleton gives a report on the mural project.
report. Environmental agencies have identified endangered or sensitive species inhabiting the seasonal and temporary wetland areas. “Vernal pools do impact our economic viability,” said Fowler. She said three areas in Ramona have been identified with a high saturation of vernal pools: behind Ramona High School, on Kalbaugh Street and on Main Street across from Stater Bros. shopping center. The latter location is next to an abandoned building that has been vandalized as illustrated by photos Fowler presented at the meeting. The building has been on the market for several years, she said. “Everybody who is a developer is afraid of the ver-
Courtesy photo
Graffiti and vandalism makes this abandoned building on Main Street an eyesore, says Carol Fowler.
nal pools,” said Fowler. She read a paragraph from the Ramona Vernal Pool Study in the North County Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) that included the
statement, “Due to the tremendous threats and continuous development of the surrounding area, conservation of small, See JACOB, page 7
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Cuts this year total 4.06 percent and 8.9 percent next school year, according to a synopsis of the agreement Ramona Teachers Association provided teachers. This is less than the district’s imposition of a 7.82 percent cut this year and 9.4 percent for the next two school years. The cuts were not cumulative. “Reaching the tentative agreement has
avoided costly litigation over the district’s imposition and the trauma of a strike on students, the community and RTA members,” said Donna Braye-Romero, RTA president. “This tentative agreement brings a settlement that is within the realm of reason for both parties.” Teachers were scheduled to vote on the settlement on Tuesday. Trustees are sched-
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uled to vote at their meeting on June 6. “This effort reflects compromise and commitment by both parties in working together on behalf of the students and families of Ramona’s public schools,” Superintendent Bob Graeff said. The agreement was reached after lengthy talks at the May 29 meeting called by the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) in Glendale. “PERB contacted both parties believing that an injunction was going to be filed and suggested a settlement conference,” Graeff said last Tuesday. California Teachers Association filed an injunction on behalf of RTA on May 24. “We are hopeful that the RTA membership will ratify it,” school board president Bob Stoody said in an email early Thursday morning, May 30. “...I understand that all negotiators (from both sides) are exhausted and are driving back from the PERB office in LA. They apparently all listened to the (Ramona) Parents Coalition and didn’t come home until an agreement was reached.” Also in an email, members of the parents coalition said, “We want to take this time to profusely thank both sides for the difficult choices they certainly had
to make. And thank all of you, parents and residents, for your efforts. We had received emails from both sides that our voices were being heard.” The agreement provides for a reasonable compromise between the RTA and district, states Ramona Parents Coalition’s overview of the agreement. The coalition, a group of six mothers who, alarmed at the breakdown in negotiations between the district and RTA, spent six weeks asking questions, digging into public records and double-checking facts. They presented their findings in a community meeting attended by about 100 people on May 22. “We truly believe it was community involvement that gave the negotiating teams the encouragement they needed to reach an agreement,” the coalition stated in its overview of the agreement. “Let’s keep it going!” The coalition encourages visits to its Facebook page. The June 6 school board meeting is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. in Wilson Administrative Center, 720 Ninth St. Before the meeting, the district will hold an Employee Recognition Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. for retirees, teachers of the year and support staff employees of the year in the Wilson center.