POTENTIAL public school closures will not be forced until after the next state election and not before a cash carrot is again dangled in front of schools to persuade them to amalgamate.
In the meantime, the Education Department will begin a review of school boundaries, catchments and school transport systems.
Education Minister Nick McKim announced yesterday he will adopt the recommendations of the School Viability Reference Group, led by North-West businessman Royce Fairbrother.
However, Mr McKim rejected the group's timeline to close schools by the end of next year - months out from the March 2014 election.
Mr McKim rejected suggestions the delay had anything to do with the "electoral cycle", but rather good public policy, undertaking comprehensive reviews and consultations.
"The challenge has not gone away - we are not walking away from that challenge," Mr McKim said.
Mr McKim has endorsed the group's four key criteria on school viability, including the threshold for closing rural schools set at 100 pupils at primary schools and 200 for secondary schools. In urban areas it has been set at 150 (primary) and 300 (secondary).
The other three criteria for potentially closing schools included: if the school is not in a safe physical condition; analysis of supportive past enrolment data and future trend projections; and available access to an alternative "suitable" school. This is partly based around maximum bus travel time (45 minutes each way for primary schools and an hour for secondary schools).
Mr McKim would not disclose the cash carrot to be announced in next month's State Budget.
However, he did say he hoped it was "not simply a one-off".
The incentive-amalgamation approach was previously adopted by former premier David Bartlett and had some success on the North-West Coast and Hobart.
However, the Bartlett package did not come with a "stick approach" involving closures.
Mr McKim would not say if he expected the dual stick-and- carrot approach to encourage more schools to merge.
The Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends welcomed the government's adoption of the recommendations.
Liberal education spokesman Michael Ferguson said Tasmanians "will not be fooled by this cynical, too-cute-by-half attempt to delay forced school closures until after the next election".
In the meantime, the Education Department will begin a review of school boundaries, catchments and school transport systems.
However, Mr McKim rejected the group's timeline to close schools by the end of next year - months out from the March 2014 election.
Mr McKim rejected suggestions the delay had anything to do with the "electoral cycle", but rather good public policy, undertaking comprehensive reviews and consultations.
"The challenge has not gone away - we are not walking away from that challenge," Mr McKim said.
Mr McKim has endorsed the group's four key criteria on school viability, including the threshold for closing rural schools set at 100 pupils at primary schools and 200 for secondary schools. In urban areas it has been set at 150 (primary) and 300 (secondary).
Mr McKim would not disclose the cash carrot to be announced in next month's State Budget.
However, he did say he hoped it was "not simply a one-off".
The incentive-amalgamation approach was previously adopted by former premier David Bartlett and had some success on the North-West Coast and Hobart.
However, the Bartlett package did not come with a "stick approach" involving closures.
Mr McKim would not say if he expected the dual stick-and- carrot approach to encourage more schools to merge.
The Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends welcomed the government's adoption of the recommendations.
Liberal education spokesman Michael Ferguson said Tasmanians "will not be fooled by this cynical, too-cute-by-half attempt to delay forced school closures until after the next election".
