A lunchroom employee in Alabama is being ordered to repay back pay that she received by mistake after six years of loyal service at a cafeteria. After receiving more money than she was supposed to every pay period, Christie Payne has come to the media’s attention.
April Payne was incensed by the Chilton County employer’s demand that she “repay” money she had been paid for more than six years. In 2016, when she was promoted to a managerial position, they made an error. They want her to repay the $23,465.40 because she was paid a “wrong salary” each pay period.
“A review of financial records reveals that you were overpaid by the Chilton County Board of Education as follows: amount of overpayment: Gross $23,465.40. Date overpayment occurred: started 16-17 school year.”
The school district points out that she was paid considerably more than the market rate, which is why they were expecting her to return the excess money.
“Explanation of overpayment: the employee went from assistant manager to manager. The employee should have started at step 0 of the manager schedule but was given years of experience as an assistant. As of March 31, 2022, you have been overpaid $23.465.40. Every month this is not taken care of will add the amount of $254 to the total.”
In the letter, he then seals sensitive information away, which is continued on the next page.
“We propose the following repayment schedule. 1) The amount of $325.91 to be taken from your checks starting with April 2022 and for the next 72 months. 2) You can pay $3,910.90 once a year for the next six years. 3) You can pay in one lump sum.”
Due to this, Payne was trapped in a tough location, as the Alabama school district failed to pay her the correct amount of money for many years.
The letter says, “If you object to the overpayment amount or wish to propose another repayment schedule, you must submit a written response, alternate repayment plan, and it must be received in the Finance Department within seven calendar days upon the receipt of this letter.”
It is uncertain what Payne intends to do or how she will react to the school district’s demand for reimbursement at this time.
For the past six years, Payne has worked as a lunchroom supervisor and says she enjoys her work. It’s difficult to fathom that the school would want her to reimburse such a significant amount of money, especially when you consider how it was their fault in the first place. Hopefully, this narrative will have a positive ending and Payne will be able to keep her job without having to worry about repaying such a large sum of cash.
