Monday - March 01, 2010

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Carson Smith on the Hill

Parents Hope Special Needs stipend Survives

SALT LAKE CITY — Without the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship, Kathy Grove would be forking out $6,000 a year in private school tuition for her son.

Grove and dozens of other parents of scholarship recipients rallied on Capitol Hill Friday to express appreciation for the program and share their concerns with lawmakers.

With state budget cuts looming, parents are worried the scholarships are on the chopping block. "This is scary for us as parents," said Grove, of Clinton. Her son Michael, 10, is a fifth-grader at Layton Christian Academy.

Michael's birth mother was a meth addict. He faces myriad challenges, including attention deficit disorder. He gets specialized attention at Layton Christian.

"The teachers are really nice and they have small classes," he said. "If we want help from the teachers, we can get help."

Grove bent the ear of Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, on Friday. "I want the representatives to listen. I want them to care about this," she said. "The kids need this scholarship as much as the parents do."

A total of 900 special-needs children have received Carson Smith scholarships since a law was passed in 2005 appropriating funding for the program.

Scholarship amounts range from $3,865 to $6,442 depending on the special education services a child requires. The average scholarship is $4,138.

"These students have very unique needs and have found the right fit," said Judi Clark, executive director of the grass-roots group Parents for Choice in Education.

Carson Smith proponents, including Parents for Choice, point out a mainstream student in a public school requires $8,200 of public funding and generally a special-needs student would require an additional $4,100.

Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan, sponsored the scholarship bill in 2005 that was signed into law by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

"It's one of the best programs we have ever done. It gives one more option to special ed students to let them find an environment where they can learn and grow, which is really what special ed is designed to do."

Newbold, who is also co-chairwoman of the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said she doesn't believe the scholarship recipients have anything to worry about. "I think (the Legislature) will protect special education funding," she said.

--Amy K. Stewart

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700012462/Utah-Legislature-Parents-hope-special-needs-stipend-survives.html