New Brunswick’s education minister has approved new criteria for deciding when a school should be considered for closure.

The new standards affect 15 francophone schools and 27 anglophone schools, in addition to schools already reviewed for closure.

The measures come ahead of next week’s provincial budget, and the Liberal government has said everything is on the table as the province seeks new ways to save and make money.

Education Minister Serge Rousselle said on Friday the new criteria would trigger a “sustainability study” on schools at risk of closing.

Having enrolment of 100 students or less, or capacity of 30 per cent or less are among the criteria that would trigger a review.

“It’s a question of being consistent, to have a uniform way in the province. Nothing is stopping the district to do other studies,” Rousselle said.

Having a sustainability study conduct would not necessarily mean a closure is inevitable, Rousselle said.

For example, schools on islands would be excluded.

The move prompted Opposition Tories to say that schools in rural areas will be targeted.

“It really is an attack on the rural schools. It takes the heart and soul out of them,” said PC MLA and education critic Gary Crossman.

In the legislature, Crossman suggested the dual-language school bus system could be a better target for cost-saving measures, in comments he later walked back.

“I’m getting emails here today of how people are unhappy about closing schools but yet offering extra buses,” Crossman said in the legislature.

Fellow PC MLA Madeleine Dubé later took aim at Crossman’s comments.

“The school buses is part of the school system. It’s in the constitution, so it’s not open for debate,” she said.

NDP Leader Dominic Cardy says language duality for school buses is not protected under the charter.

He pointed to parts of the province where students of both languages are already travelling together on school buses.

“There’s been no consultation with the parents, with the students who are going to be affected, who came up with a local solution they felt made sense,” Cardy said.

Rousselle says he intends to separate francophone and anglophone students on those buses as soon as possible.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore