Education Funds a Selling Point on Obama Budget

Advocates tout increases as they push to support 2010 spending blueprint.

As President Barack Obama works to build support for his fiscal 2010 budget blueprint, supporters—including some outside advocacy groups—are hoping to build support in key states by trumpeting the administration’s plans to boost education funding.

Some education groups feel they have a lot riding on this particular fiscal blueprint, which will set broad spending levels for the budget year that begins Oct. 1.

The plan, to be fleshed out in coming months, would fund the U.S. Department of Education at $46.7 billion for fiscal 2010. That figure doesn’t include $81 billion spread over multiple years for the Education Department in the $787 billion economic-stimulus package, or a proposed budgetary change in the Pell Grant...