Special education backers hope for restoration of funds

Special education advocates lobbied late Wednesday to restore a budget cut tied to a voucher program, turning heads at the governor's office and spurring talk of action during a special session.

Meanwhile, the sponsor of a failed tuition-tax credits bill says he may not lead the charge next year.

The special education budget reduction is fallout of Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships, a roughly $5,500 voucher for parents sending children with disabilities to private schools.

The bill, supported by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., easily passed the Legislature and brought praise from the national Alliance for School Choice.

But when a new schools budget hit this week, the special education budget was sliced $903,300 because of the vouchers.

School advocates understood the vouchers would not affect their budget, even though a fiscal note says they would. Utah's enrollment-based school funding formulas won't let public schools get money for students they won't have.

State school officials say the money should stay put because special education is funded on a two-year enrollment lag. But budgeters note vouchers are effective now, and put the cut money in the Rainy Day Fund.

Special education officials spent the session's final hours lobbying to restore the funds.

"The positive thing is, representatives and senators are very concerned and working with us toward resolution," said Nan Gray, special education coordinator at the State Office of Education.

The governor's office also was exploring ways to restore the money, possibly in an April special session or through supplemental funds next year, education deputy Tim Bridgewater said.

"If it doesn't get taken care of tonight, we will address it," he said, adding, "We are sympathetic and supportive of the spirit of (the) Carson Smith (program)."

Meanwhile, tuition-tax credits' sponsor, Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, analyzed how the year for school choice is looking like a fifth annual failure.

"We spent too much time this session accommodating concerns of everyone who wanted to give input," repeatedly delaying debates, he said. "Apparently addressing those concerns didn't buy us a lot of votes."

Second substitute HB39 would have offered a $500 to $3,000 tax credit, based on family earnings, to public school parents switching to private schools and low-income families currently enrolled in private schools.