Education Minister Anne Tolley says it is up to school boards to work out how to pay redundancy to staff who lose their jobs because of cuts to night classes.
The Post Primary Teachers Association says students will suffer if schools are forced to carry the cost of severance payments, that could be up to $80,000 for some employees.
Mrs Tolley says she would be surprised if many staff were entitled to redundancy payments as most are on fixed-term contracts.
More than 200 schools offer adult community education classes, but many will be cut from next year when funding is reduced by 80%.
