The Democratic leadership of the U.S. Senate proposed on Wednesday a spending blueprint for 2008 that would increase financing for the Education Department by $6.1-billion over the amount proposed by President Bush. The plan suggests giving Pell Grants, which aid needy students, high priority for some of the additional money. The Senate plan, called a budget resolution, proposes a total of $62.3-billion for the Education Department in the 2008 fiscal year, which begins October 1. The document does not, however, spell out spending levels for individual programs, like Pell Grants, but would set ceilings for broader categories of spending.