The president's budget aims to continue a controversial overhaul of public education.

In the budget disclosed today, President Obama increased education spending by 9.7 percent for the next fiscal year, even as he halted or cut spending on many other programs.

Part of the proposed $3 billion boost would go towards the Education Department's "Race to the Top" initiative, a a controversial grants program started with economic stimulus money last year.

"The administration clearly did not intend for this money to be for business as usual," said Jack Jennings, who runs the Center for Education Policy. The nonpartisan advocacy group monitors federal spending on schools.

Jennings said the administration is pushing a specific education agenda through "Race to the Top."

"They have a sense of what reform is and want to use this money for that reform," he said.

The Education Department awards "Race to the Top" money to states based on how well they use student progress to rate and recruit teachers. The states compete with one another for the money, giving them incentive to fall in line with the administration's idea of reform.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan described some of the criteria at the program's inception.

"[The states] must have data systems to track students’ progress and to identify effective teachers," he said. "They must identify their lowest-performing schools and take dramatic action to turn them around."

Teachers unions have said it is unfair to rate teachers based on how their students perform.

They and others who oppose the program have time to lobby Congress before the funding is finalized, Jennings noted.

"Congress will probably want to put money in the major [education] programs instead of these competitive grants," he said. "Congress is more attuned to getting money into the hand of local educators."

Lawmakers have to review and approve the president's budget by fall.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org