The Deseret Morning News in recent weeks reported the budget cuts would accompany the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships and a tuition tax credits bill, which failed in the House last week. Both bills' fiscal notes spelled it out.

And, in recent weeks, a number of legislators said the money would be reinvested somewhere else in the public schools budget. That has not happened, however, with the almost unchallenged passage of HB382 in the House. Rather, the money was sent to the Rainy Day Fund as a general budget balancing rule.

State special education officials felt misled. All debates indicated the vouchers would be funded with general funds, not school money, despite the fiscal note's premonition.

"Why, when the money is not supposed to come from special education money and Minimum School Program Act money, (are we) seeing these figures," asked Nan Gray, special education coordinator at the State Office of Education.

Also, special education funding is based on enrollments from two years ago. So wh,y then, would the state cut their enrollment-based funding now instead of two years from now? Bigelow says the voucher need is immediate. "They're expending the funds now. In order for them to be educated in the special environment, we have to fund it now."

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