Washington — President Bush will ask Congress next week for a $2.6-billion increase in 2009 for the Pell Grant program for college students from low-income families, the Associated Press reported today.

The AP said it had obtained a copy of a White House budget proposal sent to Congress, in which the administration seeks a total of nearly $60-billion for education programs at all levels, about the same as this year, without any increase to keep pace with inflation.

The maximum Pell Grant is currently set to reach $4,731, following last year’s enactment of legislation cutting about $20-billion in student-loan subsidies over five years and diverting it to grants. With the expected $2.6-billion increase, the maximum Pell Grant is anticipated to reach $5,100 to $5,400.

The administration also will seek to eliminate 47 education programs, including Perkins Loans, to save about $3.3-billion, according to the AP report. The administration has proposed similar cuts in past years, with little success in getting Congress to go along. —Paul Basken