Teacher’s $50k bonus confiscated for debt payment – shocking story!

Oklahoma Teacher Shocked After Being Overpaid $50,000 In Bonuses And Forced To Pay It All Back

A teacher from Oklahoma is claiming she was mistakenly given a $50,000 bonus before being compelled to return the entire sum in a short period of time.

Kay Bojorquez Applies For Bonus Program in Good Faith

Kay Bojorquez, a teacher from Oklahoma, went through the process of applying for a bonus program through the Oklahoma State Department of Education, fully believing she was entitled to the bonus.

Receiving The Shattering News

Much to Kay’s surprise, she was met with the news of a lifetime in November when she received a letter informing her that she qualified for the $50,000 bonus.

The Turmoil That Followed

After receiving the money, Kay used it to improve her home and pay off debt that she hoped would improve her credit score. However, in January she received an email from the department telling her that she urgently needed to return the $50,000.

Unexpected Emotional Turmoil

Kay expressed intense distress when faced with the news. “When I read the letter, I threw up,” she confessed. “I’ve had two panic attacks in the last two days.”

Other Teachers Impacted Too

Sadly, Kay was not alone in this predicament – nine other teachers were also informed they needed to return the money. Teachers were eligible to receive between $15,000 to $50,000 depending on their experience.

The Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for the program stipulated that teachers could only receive the bonus if they committed to a five-year teaching term and were not employed at an Oklahoma school district in the 2022/23 school year.

Kay’s Unexpected Disqualification

Despite her belief that she met the criteria for eligibility, it turns out that Kay’s employment as a teacher at Epic Charter Schools in the previous year made her ineligible to receive the bonus. She thought that the program was also looking for people who obtained special education certification in the past five years, which further added to the confusion.

The Lawsuit Over The Unfair Repayment Demand

Feeling unjustly charged, Kay filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma State Education Department and the state schools superintendent Ryan Walters after they demanded the teachers return the bonuses. The lawsuit accuses the department of breaching its contract and seeks $75,000 in damages and also states that Kay is not liable to repay her bonus.

The Schools Superintendent’s Response

In response, Ryan Walters noted that the teachers who signed the contract were fully aware of the terms and conditions associated with the bonus program.

In Conclusion

While this unfortunate situation has created significant distress for Kay and other teachers, the Oklahoma State Department of Education has yet to comment. The turn of events has shed light on the very real human implications of bureaucratic processes.