A special education instructor in Colorado named Kristin Seidelman got approval for a whopping $50K bonus but has been asked to return the money. She and eight other teachers have been asked to cough back the money despite the approval.
According to Seidelman, she received an email two weeks ago demanding the entire $50K be returned. Was the approval a mistake?
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For Seidelman, the bonus was a much-needed relief. After welcoming a new baby, she applied for the program and was approved, resulting in roughly $30,000 being deposited into her account after taxes. However, the sudden demand to repay the money has left her and her fiancé searching for a solution. They are now faced with the dilemma of how to come up with such a large sum of money.
Seidelman is not alone in this situation. At least nine teachers have been asked to repay bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 that they were also approved for. The bonus program, designed by the Superintendent of Instruction, Ryan Walters, was meant to help alleviate financial burdens for educators. The program established an eligibility table that determined the amount each educator could receive based on their years of teaching experience.
What is particularly unsettling about this situation is that the teachers listed their employment history on their applications and were still approved to receive the bonuses. Walters, however, is skeptical of those who received the money and claims that if anyone lied during the application process or did not agree to follow the stipulations of the contract they signed, the department will take action.
The teachers involved maintain that they did not try to defraud the program and are now facing the devastating consequences of repaying the money they were approved for. It is unclear why these teachers were approved for the bonuses in the first place if there were any discrepancies in their applications, especially since they listed their employment history.
This is unfortunate for the teachers and something needs to be done if only they didn’t try to defraud the system. Imagine paying back a $50K bonus despite being approved for it.