NDP blasts new school-fee rules

UCP government reforms to school fee regulations made just ahead of the new academic year could punish parents with increased transportation costs, the NDP Opposition said Saturday.

The new 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 also disappear.

“Hearing that the UCP has lifted any sort of regulation or oversight around transportation fees I think is ridiculous,” said NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman at a media availability Saturday. “I don’t think they campaigned on that and I don’t think that Albertans voted for that.”

With the government yet to release a budget outlining education funding, Hoffman said school boards may be forced to increase costs for busing students to make up any potential funding cuts.

“If they aren’t getting adequate funding from the government that’s something they might choose to do, but it’s not actually a choice if you’re not getting well-funded by the funder,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said she had recently spoken to a single mother who said the previous regulations helped ease her financial pressures.

Under the NDP’S rules, the education minister had to approve all boards’ fee schedules and any hikes larger than five per cent. Boards couldn’t charge fees not spelled out in the schedule. These rules disappear.

Education Minister Adriana Lagrange’s press secretary Colin Aitchison told Postmedia earlier this week the UCP government believes local school boards are best positioned to determine transportation fee structures.

He said the previous regulations also reduced flexibility in transportation planning and contributed to “challenging situations” related to adjusting school start and end times.

Hearing that the UCP has lifted any sort of regulation or oversight around transportation fees I think is ridiculous.