Survey respondents do, however, favor vouchers for students with disabilities attending private schools. Sixty-four percent strongly or somewhat favored the concept. Twenty-nine percent somewhat or strongly opposed them, and 7 percent didn't know.

Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships would set aside $1.4 million in one-time general — not school — funds for students with disabilities attending private schools. The bill, expected to be made public within the week, is similar to last year's vetoed measure, said sponsoring Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan.

Voucher amounts would be based on the state's weighted pupil unit, valued at $2,182. The program would be audited after two years. Administration costs would come from the general fund, and the voucher made immediately available to qualifying special education students.

"Our kids need it so bad," said Cheryl Smith, whose son's name headlines the bill. "Tuition (at the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism) went up this year to $23,000. People are desperate."

But the State Board of Education proposes a compromise to the bill, which some fear would lead to tuition tax credits. It wants $2.3 million to help all special education students, not just those in private school areas, board chairman Kim Burningham said.

• The state school board has a slew of other new funding requests; the top six seek $142 million.

Education's portion of new state revenues could range from $188 million to $214 million, based on legislative fiscal analyst numbers.

The board wants $111.4 million for a 5 percent WPU increase and enrollment growth; $16 million for fourth- through-sixth-grade math help; and $10.1 million to help high schoolers struggling on the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test.

• Reps. Mascaro and Pat Jones, D-Cottonwood Heights, will sponsor a bill to bring $82 million to schools.

The third incarnation of the "Jones-Mascaro" bill would reform taxes. It would end child tax deductions after a third child for a two-parent family and remove people's ability to deduct from state taxes what they paid in federal taxes.

The bill basically asks whether parents should put less into the education system than people who have no children. State law now gives income tax breaks for children. All state income tax revenues go to education.

Lawmakers have failed to support the bill two years in a row.

Public support also appears tepid.

Forty percent of those surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates Jan. 3-6 said lawmakers definitely or probably should pass the bill. Forty-nine percent said they definitely or probably should not, and 11 percent didn't know.

(Rep. Jones is the wife of pollster Dan Jones; the Deseret Morning News wrote the "Jones-Mascaro" poll question.)