The Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends and the Australian Education Union said cuts were being felt more keenly by schools as cash reserves dried up.

The cuts were deepening as the state government had slashed a total of $101.9 million from the Education Department budget in the past two years and programs such as camps and teacher assistants were being reduced or killed off altogether.

Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends vice-president Jenny Eddington said she knew of one high school that had lost $150,000 from its School Resource Package.

``Schools are forced to cover the essentials and then it's up to them as to where they can cut from other programs they offer,'' she said.

Ms Eddington said the cuts were starting to be felt in important but small ways.

Australian Education Union state president Terry Polglase said it was completing a survey of its members about cuts in schools.

However, he said cash reserves principals had drawn on last year would be drying up now and cuts would be felt more as this year progressed.

He said it also raised the issue of the federal government's push to make schools more autonomous and that principals would be blamed as more was cut from schools.

Cuts and reductions include:

Teacher assistants.

A stop or reduction in the length and location of camps and excursions.

An end to school farms and sports programs.

Increased class sizes.

A reduction in relief teachers being brought in and teachers forced to cover two classes.

Administration cutbacks.

A reduction in transition programs for children going from grades 6 to 7 and grade 10 to college.

One Northern mother complained that budget cuts had seen her eight-year-old autistic son asked to attend only 2 1/2 days a week because of a lack of teacher assistant help for him.

A government spokesman said yesterday it was investigating the case.

The spokesman admitted that education was one of the biggest components of the budget where savings had to be made. However, he said no further cuts had been sought from the department this financial year.

Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson said yesterday that questions asked during budget estimates had revealed the loss of 373 teachers and 118 teacher assistants in the past financial year. He said there had been an increase in the number of parents raising concerns with him over cutbacks in their schools.