According to President Barack Obama, real opportunities begin with education, which is why it's among his key plans for the $4.1 trillion 2017 fiscal year budget.

Obama said his budget plan, which sets aside $69.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, includes an "ambitious goal" for all children to have access to high-quality preschool education, especially for those in low-income families, and it supports policies for students on a path to enter college.

Pell Grants and "Ambitious" Goals

The president acknowledged that two-thirds of jobs will require some education beyond the high school level by 2020. Thus, his budget seeks to strengthen Pell Grants, allow students to make progress during summer classes, and provide scholarships for those in jail to turn their lives around and enable them to get jobs. Obama also proposed an additional $300 "On-Track Pell Bonus" for students who stay on course to graduate on time by taking approximately 15 credit hours per semester.

Obama's budget includes the "Second Chance Pell" proposal for prisoners who have served their time and near reentry into society. The aim for the program is to help transform their lives by offering Pell funding to pay for their college and training opportunities.

Free Community College

Obama's 2017 fiscal year budget echoes his proposal last year to make community college free for select students, also known as America's College Promise (ACP). With an investment of $61 billion over 10 years, eligible community college students would be able to work toward the first half of either their bachelor's or associate's degree at no cost. ACP would give schools grants for low-income students for up to two years "at zero or significantly reduced tuition."

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process could be simplified. According to the budget, in addition to providing FAFSA earlier, the plan is to eliminate "burdensome and unnecessarily complex questions" to ensure students and families access to federal student aid for post-secondary education.

Competitive Colleges

The budget would allocate $30 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Innovation for Completion Fund. The funding is an effort to create competitive and innovative strategies for student success, with the hope of increasing the rate of graduation among low-income students and students of color.

The plan also includes the "College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus" program, an incentive for colleges with strong low-income student enrollment and graduation rates.

Additional Program Funds

Obama's plan seeks to allocate $1.3 billion for preschool programs for 4-year-olds, although another $75 billion is proposed for the duration of the next 10 years. To expand computer science education, $4 billion is proposed to create a new "Computer Science for All" initiative.

It also provides $15.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), which are part of the federal government's effort to ensure students -- particularly low-income and minority students, disabled students and English-learning students -- graduate from high school. LEAs prepare these students for higher education or careers.

"The President's budget reflects the Administration's broader efforts to expand opportunity and ensure every child can achieve his or her full potential," acting Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said in a statement. "We have made tremendous progress with record high school graduation rates and more students of color going to college, but we have further to go to ensure that educational excellence is a reality for all students. This budget builds on the Administration's continued efforts to invest in education, from high-quality early learning through college."

The proposed 2017 fiscal year funding for the DOE was increased by $1.3 billion, or two percent, from the 2016 budget.

For more on Obama's DOE funding information, click here.

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