Education Dodges Obama's 'Freeze' Pledge

Increase of Up to $4 Billion in Proposed 2011 Funding Part of ESEA Renewal Bid

Despite a pledge to hold down spending on most domestic programs, President Barack Obama called for greater investment in public schools in his State of the Union address as part of a push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The president’s fiscal year 2011 budget, which was slated to be released Feb. 1, was expected to include a 6.2 percent increase to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget, including up to $4 billion more for K-12 education. The department’s discretionary budget for fiscal 2010 is roughly $63.7 billion.

If approved, the funding boost would represent the largest increase in federal education spending...