Hearings today in Ways and Means Committee

Sixteen bills for hearings today in Ways and Means Committee. Chairman Hixson tries to group like issues together so that advocates can give testimony on several bills on one day.  Today’s bills were based on the educational system:  mandatory school uniforms; children’s allergies and allowing school personnel to give prescribed medicines; mandatory preschool for all; reporting requirements for middle and high schools; requirements for high school assessments; mandatory physical education facilities for elementary schools; and teacher identification numbers so that student progress can be tracked through the school system.  There were also several bills concerning boards of education, the number of members, student members, and whether the boards should be elected or not.