House panel approves vouchers for special ed

A special education voucher bill, similar to the one former Gov. Olene Walker vetoed last year, passed the House Education Standing Committee with one dissenting vote Wednesday.

"The intent of this legislation is to get special-needs children the (help) they need . . . it is in no way meant to be critical of our public education system," said Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan and sponsor of HB249. "Last year we had a great bill, but this year, it's fantastic."

The "Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships" bill has 24 co-sponsors, including Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. Gov. Jon Huntsman indicated support for the concept during his campaign.

HB249 would give government vouchers to parents sending students with disabilities to private schools. Amounts would be based on the state's per-student funding formula and would top out around $5,500. The vouchers would be retroactive to this school year.

Newbold believes this year's bill is stronger. Language mirrors federal law for students with disabilities. New language aims to ensure the state's not on the hook under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to cover participants' expenses above the amount of the voucher. An amendment aims to ensure vouchers won't go to people in residential treatment facilities — a concern voiced in Wednesday's public hearing.

The total cost to the state is $1.6 million next fiscal year, the fiscal note states, and a little more the year after that. The spending breaks down like this: the bill would require nearly $2.5 million in general funds. While that money wouldn't come out of the schools' pockets, the bill would reduce enrollment-based money going to public education by $900,000 because voucher students would no longer attend public schools, the fiscal note says.

The bill is touted as a way to open educational options to parents whose children's needs aren't met in public schools. Some parents testified autistic children regressed in public schools. Others said schools would repeatedly call them to pick up their children because teachers were ill equipped to handle them.

Having no other options "is like being told your child has cancer, but you can only take him to a general practitioner," Ogden parent Stan Beagley said.

"We are willing to sacrifice financially as much as we have to," said Cheryl Smith, mother of the bill's namesake Carson Smith, who attends the $23,000-a-year Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism. "Our glimmer of hope: We'll get inside (Carson's) head one day and have him in our world."