If folks in the “high school space” have felt that much of reform’s money and attention has been passing them by, their time of longing could be ending.

There have been signs of this already, with all the talk about ensuring high school graduates are college ready, and the focus on “next generation” high school accountability for the anticipated reauthorization of No Child Left Behind—oops, sorry, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Yesterday, a key education voice at the Office of Management and Budget told a high-level Jobs For the Future convening here in Washington that the new, $50 million high school initiative in President Obama’s proposed budget shouldn’t be judged solely by the relatively paltry amount of seed money requested for its start-up.

“You should see it as a down payment to major commitments and major reforms in high school,” Robert Gordon, the OMB’s associate director of education, income maintenance and labor, told the group.

When asked later whether changes were needed in Title I rules to ensure that more of the money flows to middle and high schools, Mr. Gordon didn’t go into detail, but hinted that the administration was indeed seeking such tweaks.