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CHARLOTTE – Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is scrambling to fill hundreds of teaching positions before the new school year in just two weeks. The district is short 340 teachers.

"We're looking for people with experience,” said Dan Habrat. “We're looking for subject matter expertise, whether in math or science."

The unexpected windfall came after the district learned last month it would get millions of dollars more in funding than originally thought. Habrat explained mandatory changes in the teacher/student ratio also created the need for more classrooms and, consequently, more teachers. So instead of laying off hundreds of educators because of budget cuts, he and his team are in a hiring frenzy.

"We're still hot and heavy on elementary school teachers,” said Habrat. “We are always looking for strong math teachers we are always looking for strong science teachers."

All of which, both instructional and non-instructional, are posted on the district's website. But Habrat warns teachers laid off for poor performance, need not apply.

"We look at the caliber of our teachers and how they're performing," he said. "Typically speaking, we're not asking them to come back."

Habrat also said parents should not worry their child's school may not be ready when school starts.

"This is a new day,” he said. “We feel very good about the caliber of talent that we're bringing in. We're poised for success in a way that we haven't been in two years."

Habrat said the district is also looking for substitute teachers. If you're interested in applying for one of the jobs you can find a complete list of vacancies on the CMS website.