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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
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SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 15, N0. 12
JUNE 7, 2019
Library hosts best-selling author Rowley
School layoffs tied to decline in enrollment
By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — On May 15, The Rancho Santa Fe Library Guild in partnership with Warwick’s in La Jolla hosted an author event featuring Steven Rowley at the Rancho Santa Fe Library. The New York Times bestselling author was quick to point out that his newest novel, “The Editor,” is not a sequel to his first bestselling work, “Lily and the Octopus.” Before diving into “The Editor,” Rowley Rowley shared that “Lily and the Octopus,” a story he wrote which helped him wade through the grief of losing his beloved dog, was translated into 19 languages. Currently, “Lily and the Octopus” is being adapted into a feature film. “I never imagined then that the book would go on to become a national bestseller,” Rowley said. When it was time to think of a crafting a second novel, Rowley thought of a story about a young writer who had written a very candidly autobiographical book about his own mother — and what might happen if that type of book spiraled a little bit out of the main character’s control. While it was a good start, Rowley’s instincts told him that the events he had in mind were not interesting enough to sustain a novel. “I was looking for that sort of extra bit of magTURN TO AUTHOR ON 7
By Christina Macone-Greene
More than 224,000 trees are in relatively decent condition whereas 42,000 of those trees are distressed or dead. Of those 42,000 trees, roughly 10,000 are dead. “The document was very thoughtful, very thorough, and very well done,” Beckman said. “It addressed Dudek’s side of forest health and composition, and Tree
RANCHO SANTA FE — The discussion of teacher layoffs at R. Roger Rowe first began in February with preliminary layoffs to meet the March 15 deadline as part of the Education Code (California Department of Education). Following mandated hearings, the layoffs were made permanent at the Rancho Santa Fe School District board meeting on May 9. A total of 16 teachers were laid off effective in the new school year — seven were classroom teachers, and the remainder were part-time teachers or specialists. According to superintendent Donna Tripi, the layoffs were fueled by declining enrollment. Some of those who received those notices have already been offered temporary contracts because three teachers will be on leave for the next school year. Tripi said when she started her position of superintendent on Jan. 2, one of the district priorities shared with her at the time of hire and subsequent board meetings was the district budget. The goal: not having a deficit going into the next school year. “We had a deficit for this year and last year — we felt like next year's budget needed to be a balanced budget,” said Tripi, adding that she met with teachers and talked to administrators. Tripi said she looked at the school operations where they could provide services with more efficiency while keeping the district’s programs intact. A result of her in-depth research were the layoffs because of declining enrollment. Tripi explained that a school’s budget is mostly personnel at around 80% to 85% with the remaining expenditures going toward items such as supplies and maintenance.
TURN TO TREES ON 7
TURN TO LAYOFFS ON 5
TREE
ALARM RANCHO SANTA FE has an estimated 266,000 trees, 42,000 of which are distressed or dead, according to a study commissioned by the RSF Association. Nearly all the trees in the Covenant are on private property, which poses a challenge in addressing removal and replacement — big issues in case of fire. Courtesy photo
Forest maintenance in RSF faces challenges By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — A 300-page comprehensive study was recently completed for the Rancho Santa Fe Association’s Forest Health and Preservation Committee. Spearheaded by Dudek and Tree San Diego, the findings outlined a detailed Forest Health Study. While the study was in the hands of Forest and Health Preservation Committee
months ago, Bill Beckman, chair of the Forest Health and Preservation Committee, wanted all Covenant residents to be aware of the findings since many of the end-goals of the study involve resident action. It’s estimated that 95% of the forest in the Covenant is on private property. The Forest Health Study revealed an estimated 266,000 trees in Rancho Santa Fe.