Educators welcome President Joe Biden鈥檚 plan to spend $20 billion 鈥� on top of the federal government鈥檚 current funding for high-poverty districts 鈥� to address the needs of schools with the greatest concentrations of disadvantaged students.

But with the new administration already getting a late start on the budget process and Republicans cringing at the size of Biden鈥檚 infrastructure and family policy proposals, it鈥檚 unclear where the additional funding will come from.

The president鈥檚 for fiscal year 2022 would reverse 鈥測ears of underinvestment in federal education programs,鈥� Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reporters last week. But some Republicans are calling it , considering the other relief bills Congress has passed to address the pandemic.

The current federal budget runs through the end of September. If Congress doesn鈥檛 agree on a new budget by then, lawmakers would likely pass a continuing resolution to keep funding the government, leaving open the possibility they won鈥檛 act on Biden鈥檚 new proposals this year. Meanwhile, the administration continues to in an effort to find a compromise over Biden鈥檚 infrastructure plan, but it鈥檚 possible Democrats would plow ahead and pass much of the president鈥檚 agenda on their own.

鈥淒emocrats hold control and they want to help the president fulfill his priorities,鈥� said Danny Carlson, associate executive director for policy and advocacy at the National Association of Elementary School Principals. 鈥淗e obviously campaigned on tripling Title I.”

As they did with the March relief bill, Democrats could use the reconciliation process, which allows them to pass spending bills without a single Republican vote. With the Senate split 50-50, Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, could once again end up casting the deciding vote. If the administration aims for a bipartisan deal, Biden will need the support of at least 10 Republicans.

, released May 28, would keep funding for the existing Title I program at the current level of $16.5 billion but would create a new formula for distributing $20 billion in 鈥渆quity grants鈥� to states that work to close gaps between rich and poor districts and between those serving primarily white students and those that enroll more students of color.

, an advocacy organization that ceased operating last year, showed that despite decades of school finance lawsuits, there was still a $23 billion gap between white and nonwhite school districts as of 2016.

Under the administration鈥檚 plan districts would need to spend the additional funds on priorities Biden promoted during his campaign 鈥� increasing teacher compensation, expanding students鈥� access to advanced courses and providing preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.

But many questions about the proposal remain, particularly how the federal government would hold states and districts accountable for the money, said Khalilah Harris, managing director of K-12 education policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Some of those answers would come if the plan is approved when the Department of Education creates rules for the program, according to the proposal.

鈥淚t will be important not to just have surface-level conversations about equity and access,鈥� Harris said, adding that she expects Republicans to keep a close eye on how districts spend any increase in funding and that education is likely to be a 鈥渉uge issue鈥� in next year鈥檚 midterm elections.

She said the Title I equity proposal complements Biden鈥檚 plan to increase funding for community schools to $443 million 鈥� almost 15 times the current level 鈥� and would help students with the greatest needs, including homeless students, children in foster care and those with disabilities.

The additional dollars, however, wouldn鈥檛 change the fact that most funding for schools still comes from the state and local level. Zahava Stadler, a special assistant for state funding and policy at The Education Trust, an advocacy organization, said the new equity grants can serve as a 鈥減owerful incentive鈥� for states to address long-standing funding disparities.

鈥楾hink about sustainability鈥�

Another challenge is that the appropriations bill covers not just education, but also the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. Republican members of the House appropriations committee expressed shock that Biden is asking for almost $103 billion for the education department 鈥� a 41 percent increase.

鈥淎pparently math was not his strong suit when it came to his education because this budget he has put forward is so far out of whack,鈥� Congressman Ben Cline (R-Va.) said last month during an appropriations hearing. 鈥淭his level of an increase in spending in the same year that Congress has allocated extensive funds to mitigate the effects of COVID is highly irresponsible.鈥�

If the new program becomes a reality, district leaders say it could allow them to continue the programs they鈥檙e launching with relief funds to address students鈥� learning and social-emotional needs brought on by the pandemic.

鈥淥ne of the challenges of hiring staff is you have to be able to think about sustainability,鈥� said Robert Tagorda, the executive director of equity, access, and college and career readiness in the Long Beach Unified School District, the fourth largest in California. 鈥淭hat makes it hard for us to think about long-term investments.鈥�

And John Sasaki, spokesman for the Oakland Unified School District, said even though the funds would come with restrictions, 鈥渢hey are intended to help low-income students overcome obstacles that their peers do not face.鈥�

Michael Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, said district leaders have talked about using federal relief funds either for one-time expenses, such as facility improvements, or innovative programs that they 鈥渉ope attract state and local dollars over time.鈥� With the equity grants, they could do both, he said.

The budget also includes a new $100 million competitive grant program for middle and high school career-and-technical education programs, separate from the Title I proposal. Biden, however, isn鈥檛 asking for any funding increases for the national Charter Schools Program 鈥� a mistake, Magee said, since charter schools have been reporting enrollment growth in many states since the beginning of the pandemic.

And Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said charter schools should have been included in the president鈥檚 equity agenda, considering they predominantly serve children of color. The alliance is pushing for an increase in funding to $500 million in next year鈥檚 budget.

In a statement, Rees said, 鈥淭he administration鈥檚 pledge to lift all forms of excellence in education cannot be fully achieved without explicit support for all public schools 鈥� both charter and district.鈥�