The draft policy on the enrolment of students in out-of-home area schools was delivered to all principals and school associations last month and is the latest step in the ongoing schools viability issue.

Mr McKim said he welcomed the debate on the draft policy and encouraged schools to have their say.

``To suggest it's the policy and procedure that will ultimately be adopted is wildly speculative at best, given we've only just begun consulting with those school communities and no final decision will be made until after their feedback, and the response from other key stakeholders, has been considered,'' he said.

Mr McKim said this initial draft policy was only the first step in this process before the findings would be collated and further consultation carried out.

The policy recommends parents wanting to enrol their child at an out-of-home area school must first seek the permission of their local principal and then the principal of the school they are hoping to get into.

It also tightens guidelines and reporting for principals.

Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends vice president Jenny Eddington said its policy had always been that in the first instance parents should send their children to the local school.

However, she said large numbers of parents already sent their children out of area by just approaching the receiving principal, and some form of flexibility had to be maintained.

She said the draft policy would add extra work for all principals.

Tasmanian Principals Association president David Raw said tightening parental choice was only one option before schools and school associations.

He said the draft policy was only a starting point for discussion on how principals would deal with out-of-home area enrolments in the future.

Australian Education Union state president Terry Polglase said unfettered choice of where to send your child could not continue if the government was continuing to pick up the bill for transport.

He said there were many legitimate reasons for parents to bypass their local school but it ultimately hindered planning, efficiency and long-term certainty for the school being bypassed.

``The fact is, if we can subsidise it we must be rolling in cash - and we're not,'' he said.

``It's just ridiculous. Are we broke or not - we're expecting a 2 per cent pay rise over two years, so this has got to stop.''

Submissions on the draft policy are due back to the government by the end of July.