Editor's Note: This story is part of The Partnership Project, a series of content written in an effort by The Daily News to follow the formal collaboration of Ball State University and Muncie Community Schools. Read more in this series here.

Muncie Community Schools' (MCS) Board of Trustees added two new principals to the district Tuesday during its school board meeting, according to an MCS press release.

Corey Hartley, principal of Southside Middle School

Corey Hartley, who grew up in Muncie and is a Southside High School graduate, will serve as principal of Southside Middle School, the press release states.

Hartley holds four degrees — a doctorate in education, a specialists in education, a masters in educational leadership and a bachelors in elementary education from Ball State, it states.

He joined MCS after five years as the director of elementary education for the Richmond Community Schools (RCS) where he oversaw six elementary schools and served as the Title I district administrator. During his time with RCS, he facilitated curriculum development, mapping and adoption, school improvement efforts, parent involvement efforts and instructional innovations for social and emotional learning. 

Before joining RCS, Hartley served as an elementary and intermediate school principal and assistant principal with Westfield-Washington Schools. Prior to that, he was a classroom educator with Yorktown Community Schools. He did his student teaching at Muncie's former Mitchell Elementary School.

Sarah Shaffer, principal of East Washington Academy

The press release states Sarah Shaffer holds a masters in educational leadership and a masters of arts in education from Marian University, a bachelor of science in psychology and political science from Miami University in Ohio, and is currently obtaining her high ability licensure from Ball State.

For the past three years, it states Shaffer has been the principal and assistant principal at Paramount Schools of Excellence (K-4) in Indianapolis where she coordinated the Gifted and Talented Programs and directed the English Language Learners services using standards set by the World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium. 

It states she has also served as assistant principal of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis where she was instrumental in improving the school’s grade from a letter “F” to “C.”

She co-founded Lead Prep Southeast, a public middle school in Nashville, Tennessee, where she coached teachers, developed a student recruiting system, devised parent engagement strategies and implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). She has worked as a school improvement specialist for the Indiana Department of Education where she supported 75 Indiana schools with their academic improvement strategies.

Andy Klotz, MCS chief communications officer

Additionally, the board approved the hiring of Andy Klotz as the school district's chief communications officer.

The press release states Klotz joins MCS with three decades experience in public relations, marketing and media — most recently at WFYI Public Media in Indianapolis. He has also worked at Angie's List and the Indiana State Fair Commission.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in physical education from Indiana University - Bloomington, has achieved his accreditation in public relations from the Universal Board of Public Relations and is an active board member of the Hoosier Public Relations Society of America and the Indianapolis Public Relations Society.

“We are aggressively searching for the best talent available for Muncie Community Schools and have found three accomplished, dedicated professionals in Corey, Sarah and Andy,” said Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, MCS CEO and superintendent of public education. “Their desire to be part of our district says a lot about the overall direction of our school system, and I know they will each achieve great things in their respective positions.”

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