MUNCIE — The school board is expected to accept the resignations of 21 more teachers from Muncie Community Schools at a meeting on Friday.
The board is also likely to approve the hiring of nine new teachers, six of whom will be paid salaries of $34,659.
Pat Kennedy, president of Muncie Teachers Association, is again raising concerns about the "unprecedented" turnover at the financially struggling school corporation —whose teachers recently won a prolonged labor-contract dispute with MCS.
Including the 21 current resignations (see list below) and 14 others that were approved at the last board meeting on June 12, Kennedy estimates that nearly 90 teachers have quit since the start of school last year.
"It's getting pretty close to 90," she told The Star Press. "You're talking almost 25 percent of the staff."
It's not uncommon for teachers to resign — for a variety of reasons, including retirement. But resignations/retirements at MCS typically average about 35 a year, according to Kennedy. She has blamed this year's increase on the "slash-and-burn approach" to deficit reduction, "internal chaos," polarization, lack of transparency and other factors.