Parents were told yesterday that, instead, they must send a delegation of up to six people to see him.

Dates and venues are yet to be set, but for Northern schools on the closure hit-list it could mean travelling up to 100 kilometres to Launceston for the chance to argue their case. Bracknell Primary School association chairwoman Angela Cresswell said it was a daunting task for ordinary school volunteer mothers and fathers.

"We're not trained to do anything like this - we're just part of the school association because we wanted to be involved with our children's education," she said.

"What is the level of consultation if you're not even coming to the school and meeting with the stakeholders?"

At a press conference yesterday, Mr McKim said he was yet to speak directly to any of the school associations affected.

His spokeswoman said the minister had committed to meeting each association face-to-face, but dates and locations were yet to be finalised. In a pro-forma letter to the 20 schools affected, Mr McKim said he planned to visit "each region of the state" in mid to late July to meet the associations.

All school associations are expected to have held an emergency meeting by tomorrow night.

Many are also planning to hold public meetings within the next week to gather ideas and support from the wider community.

Avoca primary school association chairwoman Lyn Williams said phones were running hot.

"There are plenty of voices willing to be heard (on the issue)," she said. "Because it's going to mean not just the school closing down, but also losing any hope of getting new families to the area."