A special education teacher in Oklahoma sued the state Department of Education and the superintendent of public schools after she and multiple other educators were ordered to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses that the state claims were sent out by mistake.
The plaintiff, Kay Bojorquez, an employee with Epic Charter Schools, was one of at least nine teachers who received direct deposits of up to $50,000 in bonuses in November.
The payments were part of a new state teacher rewards program implemented by Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to spur recruitment.
Earlier this month, however, the department sent letters to the recipients demanding the money back before March 1, Oklahoma Watch reported.
Last Monday, Walters issued a memo that stated some teachers had “misrepresented their experience and qualifications,” while he also hailed the overall success of the program as it had led to the hiring of more than 500 new teachers in the state.
The civil case filed two days later in Oklahoma County District Court claims Walters defamed Bojorquez by suggesting she lied on her application.
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 from Walters, as well as a ruling that absolves Bojorquez from having to repay the bonus.
Walters, a conservative Republican known for culture-war stances, also faces allegations of misspending as well as seven lawsuits in federal and state courts involving a panoply of Oklahoma teachers, schools, and former department employees.
An audit revealed over $1.7 million in non-educational expenses from COVID-19 relief funds. And recent reports also questioned his spending on out-of-state travel and entertainment, violating an executive order restricting such expenses.
Walters held a news conference Wednesday to address the program, claiming the media spread a “deliberate lie” to cast the state in a bad light and maintained that only four teachers were…
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