President Obama will highlight his commitment to reform America's education system during Wednesday's State of the Union address, a senior administration official said.
Mr. Obama will include "his plan to improve outcomes for students at every point along the educational pipeline," the source said.
Some education programs will be consolidated, but overall there will be a 6.2% increase in funding for the Department of Education. This will include an additional $1.35 billion for the Race to the Top program which would be expanded with a separate competition for school districts.
The new plan would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that encourages states to adopt more challenging, and relevant standards, for learning to issue assessments that better measure the strengths and needs of students; as well as to improve accountability by rewarding high-performing schools, districts and support to charter schools.
Obama to Propose Freeze on some Government Programs
President Obama will ask Congress to freeze spending over the next three years with the hope that it could help his administration reduce the mounting budget deficit.
The White House said the president will submit the plan, which is expected to save $250 billion over the next decade, on February 1. However, administration officials said the president is expected to make the announcement on Wednesday during the State of the Union address.
The administration said the cuts would not impact security-related programs like those at the Pentagon, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security or any international agreements.
“We are at war and we are going to make sure our troops are funded at an adequate level,” a White House official said.
If the cuts are approved some government agencies could see increases while other would face cuts. The White House did not revealed what government agencies, or what programs, would be affected by the cuts.
“Tune in on Monday when the budget is released,” an official said.
The announcement comes 48 hours before the president’s State of the Union address where it;s expected Mr. Obama will offer new details on his economic recovery plan.
