About 300 teachers have been added to the DeKalb County Schools District, officials said recently.
The hires were necessary as the district is opening several new schools for the 2015-2016 school year, as well as reinstating positions that were lost during lean years as the district tackled mismanagement and deficit spending.
About 200 of the hires were made last year, district spokesman Quinn Hudson said.
The district is still working toward its hiring goal for the coming year, holding a virtual job fair and making offers to teachers looking to transfer into the district.
The district underwent several years of cuts during the latter part of the 2000s, cutting positions and freezing teacher pay. By 2013, it was operating with a $14-million deficit.
Outgoing Superintendent Michael Thurmond announced in May that the district would begin the 2015-2016 school year with an $80 million surplus. Teachers received a 1 percent raise last year, their first raise in seven years, and are scheduled to receive up to 4 percent this school year.
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