Teachers received a hefty bonus on New Year's day. Soon, a mishap turned it into a nightmare.

Teachers are a crucial part of society. They have to create a strong future generation by instilling within them credible principles that will inspire them to serve the world. It is not an easy job by any means, even though they are some of the most undervalued members of the social order. The average salary of teachers is 76.5% of the remuneration earned by similarly educated professionals, per the Economic Policy Institute. The teachers also have to pay out of pocket for many of their supplies, according to Forbes. All these issues hamper the experience of individuals who have taken on educating children. Though there might be a lot of emotional fulfillment in the job from seeing one's students succeed, there is little to no financial satisfaction. Recently, a group of teachers in a North Carolina school district were able to have the best of both worlds when authorities gave them a hefty bonus, per People. However, their sweet dreams were soon shattered.

On January 12, several teachers from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) received $1,250 in bonuses to their accounts. Believing it to be a token of appreciation from the district, everyone felt elated to have such a good start to the year. Almost five days later, the administration realized what had transpired. A payroll error had occurred, which led to the bonuses getting deposited in teachers' accounts. The dream became a harsh reality for the teachers when they were asked to return it the next day. Since this was a mistake on their part, the authorities came up with plans to make the whole process as easy on teachers as possible. CMS notified that the 225 teachers affected by this error “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.”

The authorities explained how the error took place. These bonuses were not meant for all the teachers, only the ones who were new joiners, as a way of recruiting them. They guess that the recruitment bonus got mixed up. “These teachers do receive the monthly ‘retention’ critical shortage differential for $200 a month,” CMS noted, “However, the recruitment bonus was inadvertently processed, as well, this month in error.” Considering the large size of the CMS, it came as a huge shock to people that such an error could occur on their part.

The administration does understand the impact of this error. The bonus encouraged teachers to build a lot of plans, but they were all shattered in a matter of days. The whole transaction also seems a bit disrespectful, as teachers are already underpaid. They have apologized and promised to do better in the future. “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, “We value the work of all CMS employees and sincerely apologize for any distress or inconvenience.”

Monetary dissatisfaction in the profession of teaching has been a huge topic of discussion all over social media. @teacherpaywithk on TikTok revealed in her video how teachers in Florida do not get any raise for a decade. The woman concluded by getting information from the official Hillsborough School website. She suggested a solution: "It's not these cities, it's not locals and sometimes it's not even a state. The Federal Government has to come in with that funding."