A briefing note from the Department of Education and Training to the Minister for Education, Verity Firth, on the proposed inquiry into the future configuration of the school says "the costs of engaging the leader of the inquiry and consultant support would be funded out of the gross proceeds of the sale of land".

The note also proposes that the leader of the independent inquiry report to a steering committee made up of a representatives from the minister's office, the Premier's department, Treasury and the departments of education and planning.

The Greens MP and education spokesman, John Kaye, said the briefing paper, which was released in response to a NSW upper house call for papers on the Hurlstone school, suggested the sale of farmland attached to the school was a forgone conclusion.

He said the inquiry was announced to take the heat off local Labor MPs including Andrew McDonald, the Member for Macquarie Fields.

"The compromised structure and foregone conclusion of the inquiry will make the community even more angry and determined to stop the vandalising of the school," Dr Kaye said.

"The giveaway line is that cost of running the inquiry is to be funded from the sale proceeds.

"Regardless of who the inquirer is, they will be under pressure to sell the land to pay for the inquiry.

"They will have a steering committee of bureaucrats standing over their every move.

"There will be no room for an inquiry outcome that the minister does not want."

The president of the Save Hurlstone Educational Agricultural Property community group, Tiffany Spiers, said it was clear the inquiry was "never designed to be independent".

"By engaging department representatives to steer the committee the Rees Government is planning to steer the sale through this process," she said.

"What has been most disappointing is that the independent inquiry will be paid for by the sale of the school.

"It is assumed that the inquiry would make the recommendation to sell the school, otherwise how will all these 'independent' consultants get paid."

In response to the Herald's questions about the confidential briefing note, a spokesman for Ms Firth said it represented the "department's preliminary thoughts regarding a potential governance structure for the inquiry".

"The details of the inquiry will be announced by the minister shortly," the spokesman said.