The total federal budget for 2010 came in at just a hair under $3.6 trillion. In some weird sort of perspective that means $800 million equals less than three hundredths of one percent (.00022 percent) of the total amount. So why is Education Secretary Arne Duncan fighting so hard to keep it?

According to media reports, the $800 million comes out of his "Race to the Top" and other education reform programs to help offset a $10 billion package to protect education jobs in the House supplemental appropriations bill, which includes $33 billion for the wars.

Leading House Democrats proposed the offset in response to public school teachers who oppose some of the provisions of the "Race to the Top" program.

While they appreciate the administration's commitment to educate, teachers say the "Race to the Top" reforms specifically emphasize testing and school privatization over a needed bigger commitment to professional development and financial support for ailing schools. Under the reform, teachers argue, schools are forced to teach to tests or face closure and mass firings of school personnel.

The offset proposal has the administration in something of a quandary. It supports the provision of resources to help keep education jobs, but it doesn't want to give up one of its key reform programs.

"The administration supports passage of the House supplemental appropriations bill which included $10 billion for education jobs," Secretary Arne Duncan emphatically told reporters Thursday, July 15 by teleconference. As recovery act funds that protected hundreds of thousands of public school jobs for the 2009 and 2010 comes to an end, more will be needed for this coming school year to help states avoid balancing their budgets by firing teachers, he predicted.

From California to North Carolina, Missouri to Washington state, school districts may be forced to lay off thousands of teachers before the new school year starts to make ends meet, Duncan pointed out. If forced to do so, the people hurt will be kids and their families.

White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Christina Romer estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 teachers and school workers face layoffs if direct support isn't supplied to the states quickly. Under the recovery act, federal funds helped retain some 400,000 teachers and other education personnel, she said.

Congress needs to pass the supplemental to make this money available as quickly as possible, Duncan insisted. But the these funds shouldn't be offset by eliminating money for the administration's reform agenda. "We want to thank Congress for recognizing the critical importance of preserving education jobs and keeping the economic recovery going," he added, "and we want to fight a way to pay for this without compromising education reform."

"Jobs and reform have to continue to go hand in hand," he said.

White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes added a warning. "We don't have to make a choice between reform and making sure that teachers are able to stay in the classroom," she said. While the President supports the money for education jobs, "we will recommend a veto if the final bill includes cuts to reform programs" like "Race to the Top."

White House advisers and officials have to decide if they are seriously willing to recommend vetoing a jobs bill even as the unemployment rate remains at such a high level in order to protect Arne Duncan's $800 million.

White House officials did not indicate whether or not they would recommend a veto if the supplemental fails to include the $10 billion for education jobs.