Newbold has signed up two dozen co-sponsors on her bill to provide tuition vouchers for students with disabilities to attend private schools specializing in programs to meet their needs.

The so-called "Carson Smith Special-Needs Scholarships" bill passed both houses a year ago only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Olene Walker.

Supporters hope new Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and renewed solidarity among Republican lawmakers yields a different outcome. Huntsman repeatedly voiced support for the measure during the campaign last year.

"I'm not going to count my chickens before they're hatched because of all the disappointments last year," said Cheryl Smith, whose autistic son Carson is the bill's namesake. "We want to remain cautiously optimistic. It's what these kids need."

Carson attends the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children With Autism, a Salt Lake City private school that offers intensive individualized programs and 2-to-1 student-to-teacher ratios. Its annual tuition exceeds $21,000.

Under House Bill 249, parents would receive scholarship money equal to the state portion of a public school's per-pupil funding, but not the federal or local portions.

Opponents say the measure opens the door to broader subsidies of private education - such as tuition tax credits - that will erode the public school system.

HB249 would offer annual scholarships ranging from $3,275 to $5,450 for eligible students, depending on the severity of their needs.

For example, students who require instruction in self-contained classrooms draw more funding than those who participate in pull-out programs for part of the school day.

Legislative analysts still are calculating the proposal's finances.

The scholarship program targets children with at least one of the following disabilities: mental retardation, hearing impairment, speech or language impairment, visual impairment, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disabilities or, for students between ages 5 and 8, a developmental delay.

Existing private school students may be eligible for a scholarship if they attend a school that specializes in serving students with disabilities and have been determined to have one of the disabilities specified in the bill.

rlynn@sltrib.com

Rules for private schools

Private schools must meet several criteria to enroll voucher students:

l Have a physical location in Utah where students attend classes and have direct contact with the school's teachers.

l Demonstrate fiscal soundness through an audit and opinion letter from a certified public accountant.

l Comply with federal anti-discrimination laws.

l Meet state health and safety codes.

l Disclose to prospective parents the special-education services that will be provided and their costs.

l Assess and report to parents each voucher student's academic progress.

l Provide to parents the relevant credentials of the teachers who will be teaching their students.

l Employ teachers who have bachelor's degrees, three years of teaching experience or "have special skills, knowledge or expertise that qualify them to provide instruction" in the subjects taught and to the students taught.