More than 200 North Carolina high school English teachers must pay back mistaken $1,250 bonuses to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the district said in a statement.
The 225 teachers each received bonuses of $1,250 on Jan. 12 in off-cycle paychecks. The bonuses were intended for new teachers as incentives to fill critically vacant positions. None of the teachers who received the bonus were new hires.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, or CMS, say the teachers must return the money. They have the option of “repaying the bonus in a lump sum from their February check or may choose a payment plan with deductions over three months,” according to the statement.
"We understand the challenges this error may have caused, and we are committed to working closely with each of the teachers impacted," the district said. "We value the work of all CMS employees and sincerely apologize for any distress or inconvenience."
The recruitment bonuses were accidentally processed with the $200 monthly "retention" payments for teachers at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The CMS compensation department discovered the mistake Wednesday and notified the affected teachers the next day through email.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's is one of the largest school districts in North Carolina, providing education for more than 141,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in 184 schools throughout Mecklenburg County.