225 NC Teachers Must Pay Back More Than $280,000 to School District After Accidentally Receiving Bonuses

A North Carolina school district is asking its 225 teachers to each pay back $1,250 after they received the payout on accident.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) district apologized to the teachers for the Jan. 12 bonuses they say were a payroll error. The district noticed the error five days later on Jan. 17 and notified the teachers on Jan. 18, according to a released statement.

The 225 teachers “will 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,” per the statement. 

The district said that the bonuses were only for new teachers as an incentive to recruit them to work at CMS schools, PEOPLE reported.

“We understand the challenges this error may have caused, and we are committed to working closely with each of the teachers impacted,” the statement said, per WCNC. “We value the work of all CMS employees and sincerely apologize for any distress or inconvenience.”