MUNCIE — Muncie Community Schools hired 40 new teachers on Wednesday, a week before the start of the 2017-18 school year.
School board member Andy Warrner said the group includes some "very young," "excited" and diverse teachers.
During a school board meeting, Warrner also called reports about a supposed unprecedented loss of experienced teachers "over-exaggerated."
"I think it's been over-exaggerated the years' experience we've lost," he said.
His review of teacher retirements and resignations during the 2016-17 school year "confirmed what I thought; many of the people who left us had zero years experience, or half a year or one year," he said.
According to Muncie Teachers Association President Pat Kennedy, 140 of the 408 teachers at MCS quit or retired in 2016-17 — a chaotic year that saw three elementary schools close, the state appoint an emergency manager to oversee the financially struggling school district, and teachers fend off district efforts to implement retroactive teacher pay cuts.
Kennedy also said 22 or so teaching positions remain to be filled.
"I don't know how anyone can look at the number of mid-career teachers leaving and say that is normal or usual," she told The Star Press. "I just don't know how they can do that. We've had 140 leave. That's unheard of."