Duncan said the money would be "righting a huge, historic wrong" because Congress has never spent what it promised for the programs.
"There is going to be this huge outpouring of joy because this has been a desperately unfunded mandate for far too long," he said.
Also in the plan is aid to states to prevent budget funds — a bonus fund to encourage reforms and money to build and renovate schools and upgrade technology.
Duncan said he views the stimulus as a way to make public elementary and secondary schools more rigorous and help prepare more kids to go to college.
College affordability is critical, Duncan said. The stimulus plan would double spending on Pell Grants, which help low-income students pay for college, raising the maximum award by $500 to $5,350.
"In our economy, never has it been more important to go to college," Duncan said. "Well, college has never been more unaffordable. And so increasing access is hugely important. Long-term, if we want a better economy, we need more people going to college."
Duncan is settling into his new job at the Education Department, which has 4,200 employees and a budget of $69 billion. He ate lunch with his family in the building's cafeteria last week, and he held a staff meeting where he stood in front of a screen that read, "Call me Arne." Duncan is still assembling a team of senior advisers.
He also is looking for a place to live, likely the Northern Virginia suburbs, where he plans to enroll his daughter and son in public school.
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