More than 200 teachers must pay back bonuses they accidentally received from school
FILE-A teacher instructs students inside a classroom. ( Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Teachers who thought they were getting bonus money later learned they had to return it.
Approximately 225 high school English teachers learned they must pay $1,250 back to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools after a payroll error provided funds allocated for new hires as a recruitment bonus.
WCNC-TV Charlotte reported the educators received the money on Jan. 12 in an off-cycle paycheck. These funds were only for new teachers as an inducement to help fill teacher openings in schools.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools learned of the payment error on Jan. 17 and informed the teachers the following day. The news outlet noted that the teachers who received the bonuses weren’t new hires.
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Regarding the incident, a CMS spokesperson told WCNC-TV that they apologized for the inconvenience and are working with teachers impacted by the payment error.
According to WCNC-TV, the teachers who accidentally got the payments can either repay the money in a lump sum deducted from their February paycheck or refund the money to the school over a three-month payment plan.
WCNC reports that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers receive a $200 monthly "retention" bonus based on the teacher storage in the area.
CMS is one of the largest employers in the county, with more than 20,000 teachers, support staff and administrators, according to its website.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.