Education budget woes are taking new form with a proposed cut that could wipe out funding for autistic preschools.

The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee took a motion Wednesday Feb. 19 to recommend not making additional two percent cuts that could affect all specialized preschools.

Budget officials asked each department to make the additional cuts in preparation of new budget projections expected soon.

The proposed cuts "would take out the entire preschool program," said Sen. David Steele, R-West Point, co-chair of the subcommittee.

In addition to other programs, the cuts could affect about 255 autistic children statewide, said Pete Nicholas, director of the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism.

Parents and schools are working statewide to prevent the deletion of the preschools, he said.

"At this point we are putting all our effort into not having these programs cut," Nicholas said.

Schools like the Carmen B. Pingree School are public and rely on the funds from the state, Nicholas said.

With costs that equal approximately $20,000 per child per year, very few families could afford to pay for their child to attend a specialized preschool.

Autism preschools usually last longer than mainstream schools and provide additional training and services for students and their families.

Jennie Gibson, associate director of the Utah Parent Center, which provides assistance to parents with special-education children, said if the programs were removed, they would transfer students to public school programs.

"The likelihood is, kids would not get as much help in (public) schools as they could in these programs," Gibson said.

Gibson, who was the mother of an autistic daughter, said she was one of the parents who initially advocated for programs to receive the necessary funds from the state.

Gibson said many autistic children need those programs in order to succeed.

Autism is a brain disorder that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others and respond appropriately to the environment.

Parents gathered at a legislative hearing Friday to convince lawmakers not to make the proposed cuts.

While some parents realize the committee's recommendation is a small victory, they realize the reality of the state erasing the programs still exists.

"It certainly has energized parents statewide to advocate for their children's needs," Nicholas said.

The Utah Parent Center sent out information to parents hoping that they would advocate against the cuts, Gibson said.