The U.S. economy still may be weak, but the nation’s governors want to preserve funding for pre-kindergarten next year, proposing roughly the same spending as this year, $5.3 billion, Pre-K Now reports  today.

Overall, nine governors proposed boosting pre-k spending in fiscal 2011, totaling $78.5 million, while ten governors wanted to cut spending, ($100.5 million), according to the report “Leadership Matters FY11.” Ten states want to keep funding flat, while three others and Washington, D.C., expect spending to rise but are waiting on school funding formulas. (Overall, state pre-k spending would rise slightly by $8.2 million.)

Around the country, governors are increasingly embracing the research that shows high-quality pre-k is as important to children's learning as kindergarten or first grade. – “Leadership Matters FY11.” When times are tough, states need to recognize the threat and act to protect policy priorities that have the greatest return on investment.

But, the report may have buried the lead. When you look at the graphic of state pre-k spending over the last five years you see it jumped 83 percent, or $2.4 billion, from $2.9 billion in 2005 to $5.3 billion this year.

The report is far from a final scorecard. For example, it gives Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire a mixed review for initially proposing deep cuts in early learning and then restoring cuts and supporting an expansion of pre-k.

But, the report doesn’t note that Washington State lawmakers finished their work last month, preserving spending on child care subsidies and making a relatively small cut in the state preschool program, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. Overall, early learning enjoyed a decent budget season, considering the state of the economy.

In neighboring Oregon, meanwhile, the state’s Head Start Pre-Kindergarten program would receive a 5.7 percent increase in 2011 under the biennial budget plan.

These state efforts should encourage the Obama administration and Congress to add early learning to the debate over education reform, making pre-k the first stage in that effort, the report proposed.