The state government is set to axe 266 staff from the Education Department before the end of the financial year.

Primary and secondary schools will lose a maximum of two full-time workers, while up to four staff could go from each college.

The state's smallest 16 schools and support schools will be exempted from the cuts.

Labor education spokeswoman Michelle O'Byrne urged the government to reconsider axing the jobs, saying the impact on school programs and class sizes was becoming obvious.

"These cuts were made with little or no consultation with principals or school associations," she said.

"The Liberals are cutting deeper and deeper into the fabric of Tasmanian communities with no regard for the consequences."

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff maintained his political opponents and unions were to blame for the cuts after opposing a legislated wage freeze across the public sector.

"Labor and the Greens owe Tasmanians an apology for wrecking the budget in government and for opposing the pay freeze we put on the table to rein in public sector wages," he said.

"It's on the heads of Labor, the Greens and Union leaders that the budget does not have the funds for existing staff allocations once they rejected the pay freeze in favour of a pay rise."

"It's unfortunate that the union leadership decided they'd prefer a pay rise for a lower number of teachers, rather than retaining all teachers through a temporary pay freeze."