When contacted yesterday, the board chairpersons of the three schools - Russell Bryant (Weston), Ian Carter (Hampden) and Sonji Armstrong (Maheno) - all said it was too early to comment on the proposal.
The boards will meet the Ministry of Education today to find out more information.
Consultation on the possible closure of the Herbert primary school began last year and, in January, Education Minister Anne Tolley said she was satisfied it should close.
Commissioner Mike Allison then had to advise her if he had any arguments in favour of the school's staying open.
He made a submission, in consultation with parents, indicating the starting roll this year was 20, compared with a roll on July 1 last year of just nine.
In a statement yesterday, Mrs Tolley said she had listened to the views of the community and had tried to find a "locally-driven solution".
"As a result, we are exploring more innovative ways of providing the best possible education for students on the current school site."
Parent Michelle Macdonald said Otepopo School parents were delighted Mrs Tolley was exploring options on-site.
They felt it was something that might serve other rural communities that were experiencing falling rolls and issues with Tomorrow's Schools, Mrs Macdonald said.
Through "hard work and dedication" the roll had grown to 22, making the goal to reach a two-teacher status more achievable in the future.
From a personal perspective, Mrs Macdonald said the goal was to keep the school in the community. It least, with the proposal, the community would not lose it.
While she would love it to be retained independently, if that was not an option, then the proposal was still a way to service the community.
Mrs Macdonald was delighted Mrs Tolley was "thinking outside the square" and, if done properly, if could be a "test case" for other rural areas, she said.
If the proposal was agreed upon, the school would close in its current form, with pupils enrolling at the new facility on the Otepopo site, which could be part of one of the other three schools, Mrs Tolley said.
Consultation will take place in May, with the schools scheduled to report back to the ministry by June 1.
When contacted, Mr Allison said he had begun talking to Otepopo School parents.
