AUSTIN, Texas — Some Austin ISD teachers will have to pay back bonuses they received that they weren't supposed to get.
The president of Education Austin, the union that represents Austin ISD teachers, told KVUE a $2,000 stipend went out to all teachers in "hard-to-staff" positions, such as bilingual and special needs educators. It was only intended for new hires.
Around 500 of the district’s workers were overpaid.
Officials with Austin ISD said they contacted staff as soon as they discovered the issue. They're now offering the teachers options to return the overpayment in the way that works best for them.
Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said he wants to give the district credit for addressing the problem quickly, but he also said this is a mistake that should not have happened.
“We can’t allow this to happen,” he said. “We can’t have this happening. People are living check to check. This is not the news people need to hear, so it’s important the district stay on this and make sure that mistakes like this in the future do not happen.”
Zarifis said the district is working with affected teachers on a payment plan.
“It is my understanding that the district is going to create a system where people can pay it back over time and it won’t be required immediately, which could put a hardship on people,” he said.
In a statement, an Austin ISD spokesperson said, "We regret any frustration this may have caused."
Austin ISD also said staff have been working to transition to a new payroll system designed to prevent these kinds of issues.
Affected staff can send any questions to the district's human capital team.