President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for next year calls for funding increases for education, with early childhood programs, teacher development and training initiatives, and a push for free community college tuition among the highlights.
The president is asking for $71 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Education – a 5.4 percent increase over current funding, according to budget information released Monday. The package was part of Obama’s overall $4 trillion budget proposal for 2016.
Among the highlights:
- $750 million – a $500 million increase – to expand the Preschool Development Grants program, which helps increase preschool options for children from low- and moderate-income families. The president is also calling for $75 billion over the next 10 years for his Preschool for All proposal, to expand preschool offerings to 4-year-olds.
- $5 billion over the next five years for a “Teaching for Tomorrow” program to support training and recruitment of new teachers, and professional development for current teachers.
- $60.3 billion to offer two years of free community college to students making steady progress toward a degree.
- $200 million for a new “American Technical Training Fund” to promote job training programs in high-demand fields.
- $125 million for a new competitive grant program to “redesign” high school, especially for programs that focus on science, engineering and math instruction.
Additional information on the budget proposal is available from the White House here. Read Education Week’s analysis here.
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