But, when it comes to the progress of 400 Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship recipients, who have collected as much as $2.4 million in tax-funded vouchers to pay tuition at special-needs private schools, legislators don't seem interested.

They do not care to find out if those students are faring better than they did in public school or what taxpayers are getting for their money. They require no tracking of these students' progress whatsoever. They simply send millions of taxpayer dollars out the door with no questions asked.

We believe that is not only shockingly poor stewardship of their constituents' money but also shows an astonishing lack of concern for the children this program is supposed to help.

Carson Smith students have disabilities ranging from dyslexia to autism to neuromuscular disorders Their parents are hoping private schools can educate their children better than public schools.

But they have no way to know which school might best meet their child's needs because the state provides no way to compare them. And they must rely solely on their own assessments of their children's progress.

Florida, which has the nation's oldest and largest special-needs voucher program, has found a lack of accountability translates into mediocre performance. Advocates for the disabled say there is little evidence that voucher programs improve learning for special-needs students. Utah certainly has none.

The National Council on Disability discourages states from implementing voucher programs until there is more research on results and much more accountability. The council rightly says poorly regulated voucher programs create a false sense of empowerment for parents and undermine efforts to make public schools do a better job of educating special-needs children.

Taxpayers and parents should demand that the Utah Legislature require private schools to report on the progress of all Carson Smith Scholarship recipients.