Teachers unions have called on the Government to "come clean'' on its education agenda after documents revealed a shake-up of schools could be planned.
Treasury documents given to the Finance Minister indicate major changes could take place in the education sector this year.
The Government spends $12.2 billion annually across the sector, and improving it is the Treasury's top priority, the papers show.
Changes this year could include a "total resourcing model", the documents say, which would provide "increased flexibility for principals to hold and manage budgets".
Other options put forward are centralising the management of school property, combining schools and/or boards, more teacher appraisal, and moving school reporting from students' performance to how much they have improved.