On his first day in the job, Mr Polglase said if the school viability reference group's report was accepted by the government soon, the formal process to determine school closures could see them lose focus of what they were actually supposed to be doing: teaching. He said the timeline recommending a June or July start and then notification for schools if they were being considered for closure in August or September was too short a period.

``That is far too short a period to do that,'' Mr Polglase.

``We're about to start a school year, we're on the road to getting on with things and this is taking their mind off educating and they'll spend all their time on thinking about survival.'' He said there had to be a proper consultative, transparent process with all schools and this could take 18 months.

Mr Polglase said the process could not be rushed.

He said Unions Tasmania, the CPSU and United Voice collectively supported all eight of the report's recommendations but there could be no picking and choosing by the government. He said a review of boundary and catchment areas was critical, and putting in place a policy that restricted parental choice on where they sent their kids, and in which bus transport had been heavily subsidised for years, had to end.

Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson said it was a case of deja vu. ``If Mr McKim accepts the recommendations, school communities are going to be told by a uniform formula that they are slated for closure, and then given just a few months to argue why they should stay open,'' Mr Ferguson said.

Opposition Leader Will Hodgman described the process as Ground Hog Day, saying another run-through of the closure process last year would occur this year.

He said schools would close on the basis of economics, not educational outcomes.