The Altoona Area School District plans to shutter both Washington-Jefferson and Wright Elementary Schools at the end of the school year.
 
Board members made the decision during a special public meeting on Wednesday.
 
An architect hired by the district came up with 16 potential options – and presented the board with ways to better utilize existing space. The move will save the district about $1-million annually on personnel, maintenance and utility costs.
 
School officials say elementary school classroom sizes would be maintained around 26 - 30 students each. Board members plan to cut about 10 teachers between the two facilities. An additional 8 secretarial and janitorial positions would also be eliminated.
 
A public hearing on the closures will be held at 5:30PM on March 11^th at the Altoona Area Junior High School. The board must then wait 90 days before making its final decision on shuttering the buildings.