Just a Minute
Yesterday, Arlington taxpayers learned from the Washington Post that Arlington Public Schools (APS) was not selected “to take over the county’s federally funded Head Start program, which provides preschool for disadvantaged children.” The paper further reported:
“The school system, in an effort to expand its early childhood programs, applied for $2.1 million in federal grants to run Head Start. The School Board also decided to contribute $1.9 million in local funds that would have been used to supplement salaries of the preschool teachers . . . The local funding would have allowed the schools to hire teachers with qualifications beyond those required under the federal program.”
One might think, therefore, that since the $1.9 million is no longer needed to operate the Head Start program, the money would be returned to its rightful owners, Arlington taxpayers. Not so fast, says APS. Embedded deep in their September 7 press release announcing that funding for their Head Start application was denied, there’s this little statement:
“School officials state that they will be making a recommendation to the School Board for the use of those funds.” [emphasis added]
Just a minute! Much as it may surprise some “School officials,” that $1.9 million does not belong to APS “to use,” but rather the money should be returned to its rightful owners, Arlington taxpayers.