Parents of school-aged children in the province should see a break on school fees, possibly as early as this fall.

The provincial government proposed changes to school fees in a bill introduced last month. If passed, Bill 1 would see the end of fees charged for instructional materials, such as textbooks and workbooks, as well as some fees for busing.

Foothills School Division Assistant Superintendent Drew Chipman says school boards are waiting for further clarification on the proposed legislation.

"Boards have had the ability to charge school fees for a number of things in the past," he says. "It's really been quite unfettered by the province. If there's been a need for a fee, boards have had that opportunity. With the new Bill 1, there's some limits to that. We're still trying to find out what those limits are."

School boards are working to gather more details on the proposed changes so they will be able to make operational decisions and to adjust their own budgets accordingly.

Chipman says this likely won't mean the complete elimination of school fees at this point. However, fewer back-to-school demands on parents' pocketbooks would be a welcome relief in the fall.

"I think this is great news for regular families," he says. "Some families have struggled with fees and so from that perspective we certainly support the fact that if there's funding available for those things we'll see that significantly reduced and I think that's a good news story for families within Foothills School Division."

The province has indicated that funding will be provided to offset the reductions in school fees.

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