Oklahoma asks teachers to return up to $50,000 in bonuses the state says were paid in error

Source: Associated Press

Oklahoma asks teachers to return up to $50,000 in bonuses the state says were paid in error

BY SEAN MURPHY
Updated 12:45 PM EST, January 30, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With four young children and a fifth on the way, Kristina Stadelman was ecstatic after qualifying for a $50,000 bonus for taking a hard-to-fill job as a special education teacher in Oklahoma. She used the money to finish home improvements and buy a new car for her growing family.

Then a letter arrived from the Oklahoma State Department of Education: It told her she received the money in error and must repay it, quickly.

“I don’t obviously have the money to pay it back by the end of February,” Stadelman said. “I came home the day I found out and just cried for two days straight.”

The errant payments, first reported by Oklahoma Watch, and the repayment demands have Oklahoma’s education agency drawing fierce criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, some of whom say teachers shouldn’t be forced to give the money back. Average teacher pay in Oklahoma is about $54,800, which ranks 38th in the country, according to the National Education Association.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-teacher-bonus-clawback-walters-cdd78068c3efc4b22b01cf86d54bfacb