GWB is a fan of Federal control over education. His wife is a teacher (irrelevant aside ... Miers started undergraduate one class ahead of Laura, also as a teacher, and even taught - student taught I presume). GWB has one of his TX buddies in charge of the Department of Education, and likely wanted to provide generous funding for it.
May as well get a DEM to do the dirty work.
Bush better stop listening to Laura.