San Juan District already scrapes to fill in federal funding shortfalls and entice teachers and other specialists to take jobs in the remote school district, special education programs director Anthony Done said. And when it comes to accessing the scholarships, San Juan parents are pretty much out of luck.

"It seems the private schools are located along the Wasatch Front," Done said. "Unless they send their child away to live with relatives, they're really inaccessible to our parents."

The State Board of Education will ask lawmakers to restore the $903,300 that was cut, state associate superintendent Patrick Ogden said.

The woman who carried the scholarships law backs that request.

"They should get it . . . we'll be working to help them," said Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan.

"It's a new program and we're feeling our way through it," she said. "I think now that we know, we have knowledge to work on instead of a forecast or presumption, and I think we can make it right."

Newbold says she will seek to reinvest the lapsed money back into the scholarship program, too.

She also has requested a bill regarding special education funding. She would not provide specifics. But she said a committee of state and local special education experts and a handful of legislators have been exploring special education program needs. Recommendations will be central to the legislation.

"I think we've pretty well identified the problems," Newbold said. "Now, the solution is the hard part."

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com