Endless expansion of Arlington spending

“The only proposed new expenditures to the budget are for school-based staff including 

adding roughly 49 positions to support special education and English-learner students, 

and three new [positions] to support safety and security in schools.”

https://www.arlnow.com/2025/03/21/views-split-on-whether-aps-budget-plan-prioritizes-classrooms-over-central-office/

"49 positions to support special education and English-learner students"

Really?

Why are these positions needed now?

Is this a disguise for Durán's support for the "Equity in Education Partners" proposal?

See

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/09/25/school-board-eyes-65m-budget-increase-for-more-staff-and-pay-raises-in-fy-2026/

'"A June 2024 planning study by Massachusetts-based Equity Education Partners found that, to meet its academic and growth targets, 

the school system needs to hire additional English-language learning assistants, more special education teachers at the elementary level, and new literacy and math interventionists to provide targeted support."

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Concerning the bloated size of the "central office", consider this:

“There were approximately 27 central-office staffing reductions and zero proposed central-office staffing additions to the budget,” she told ARLnow.

That equates to about 2.5% of the central-office workforce and represents a savings of $12.7 million, she said.

If 27 central office staffers were 2.5% of the central-office workforce, 

that means the central-office workforce had about 1,000 personnel.

Really?

It takes that many central office staffers to manage a school district of about 25,000 students?

Sure sounds like bloat to me.

Also, $12.7M/27 equals about $470K.

Something is off here.