Budget Would Boost Incentive Pay, Turnaround Aid

President Barack Obama’s first budget proposal would boost U.S. Department of Education spending by 2.8 percent and provide substantial resources to turn around low-performing schools, reward effective teachers, and bolster early-childhood programs.

But—not counting massive one-time increases in the recent economic-stimulus legislation—the plan also provides no more than level-funding for special education and, arguably, a cut to grants for districts under the Title I program for disadvantaged students.

The budget would also seek to eliminate 12 programs the White House deems ineffective, including the $66 million Even...