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Parents and guardians could be paying more school fees after the Alberta government loosens rules for school boards on Sept. 1.

The new United Conservative Party government has reversed some of the former NDP government’s regulations requiring school divisions to bus some students for free. A rule requiring the minister’s approval for new or substantially hiked fees will disappear.

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A decrease in transparency requirements is a disappointment to Allison Pike, president of the Alberta School Councils’ Association. Although school boards have already set fee schedules for the 2019-20 school year, families should brace themselves for mid-year fee increases once new rules take effect Sunday, she said.

“There’s no obligation for school boards to disclose what they are charging for,” Pike said Friday. “They could charge for something, and actually be using it for something different, and parents wouldn’t necessarily know that.”