Gov. Olene Walker says she has enough support to pass her plan during next week's special legislative session to give parents of severely disabled children $1.4 million in public funds for private school tuition.

But she didn't put it on Wednesday's call because the House speaker indicated the discussion could be expanded to include tuition tax credits, Walker told the Deseret Morning News. And there's not time allotted or support to do that in a special session.

"The speaker and the Senate president control the floor," Walker said. "I knew most of the senators and representatives did not want to get in an argument over (tuition tax) credits in a special session, and neither did I. . . . As soon as I recognized I couldn't get agreement from (House Speaker Marty Stephens) to pass it in the form I described, I was under the obligation not to push it further."

Walker met Friday with parents of disabled children to explain her efforts.

Stephens agreed no one wants to debate tuition tax credits at the special session. But lawmakers do want to discuss the matter from all angles.

"I told (Walker) . . . just put it in the call that we can discuss funding for special-needs children, and let the Legislature discuss all the options and not just your option," Stephens said. "That's what she refused to do."

The issue will wait until the 2005 Legislature. The Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships bill, named after a student in the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism, gave $1.4 million to parents of children with disabilities who attend private schools.

Lawmakers passed the bill, but Walker, citing constitutional concerns, vetoed it in March.

But the governor, who was running for re-election at the time, attempted to compromise. She kept the money in the budget and wanted the State Board of Education to contract with private schools serving children with special needs. A task force of parents and policymakers recommended the money go to Pingree students to keep it on a small scale.

Lawmakers nixed the idea, saying it did nothing for the masses and left parental choice out of the mix.

Walker lost in the May 8 state GOP convention.

Walker's staff later said the matter would not be discussed in special session, as she once sought.

But that upset some parents at the Pingree school. Walker last spring promised they would get the money in the bill, and they believed her.

Friday, Walker met with them. "I told them I felt obligated to see they got the money. I always try to keep my promises."

She wanted lawmakers meeting in special session next week to consider her plan to let the money help autistic or emotionally disabled children wanting to go to Woodland Hills in Murray or the Pingree school. Parents would get up to $4,400. The funds would flow to the private schools through state school board contracts. The task force would oversee the program.