Two Alabama public school workers are suing their employer after being asked to pay back over $55,000 in accidental overpayment. The school system is asking for the money back as a result of overpayment in salary that school administrators say the workers were not entitled to.

The lawsuit was filed by the Alabama Education Association on behalf of Christie Payne, a cafeteria manager at Verbena High School, and Shellie Smith, a career tech teacher. The two women are employees of the Chilton County School System, and according to the school system’s central office, the workers were accidentally overpaid following promotions and movement into different positions within the district.

According to local reports, the women in the lawsuit are just two employees among several others who are rumored to have been overpaid through administrative errors. A school bus driver, who remains unnamed, shares with local outlet CBS42 that he was sent a letter demanding repayment after he was accidentally overpaid $10,182. The man explains that he has been with the school system for over 20 years and that he should not be made to pay for an error that was made by the school district.“The little people are the ones that’s taking the hurt,” he shared. “Most of us, it takes everything we got to make it. People are just struggling to get by and pay the bills and then get hit with something like this.” The man adds, “It’s their mistake,” he said. “Why do the little people have to pay for it?”

The letter the bus driver received was similar in nature to the letter the two women received from superintendent Jason Griffin.

In the lawsuit brought forward by the two women, they name Griffin as the defendant. Griffin has not filed a response with the court following the lawsuit, but he has publicly shared that he stands with the central office’s request to have the money paid back.

In a joint statement released by Griffin and the Chilton County Board of Education, the officials explain, “The Chilton County Board of Education recently discovered several overpayments. These overpayments date back several years, and were initiated prior to the tenure of the current Finance Department, Superintendent, and Board. Under Board policy and the law, board officials are required to recoup any overpayments. We are mindful of the financial impact that this matter can have on our employees, and we are working to balance that impact with our obligation to recover the funds.”

According to the lawsuit, the two workers contend that such a demand would cause an undue financial burden on them.

In April, Payne received a letter from her school district’s central office stating that she had been receiving excessive payment following a promotion she received in the 2016 - 2017 school year. Payne was promoted from lunchroom manager to manager and as a result of her promotion, she was accidentally overpaid $23,465.

Smith also received a letter detailing that she too was overpaid following a move in job positions. During the 2018 - 2019 school year, Smith moved from being a school nurse to a teacher. As a result, she was overpaid 32,984 by the school district.

According to the school superintendent, the two women were accidentally being paid according to a pay scale that takes into consideration years of experience. The two women were accidentally placed on a tier that reflected more years of experience than actually existed. The superintendent suggested that the women could either enter a repayment plan or offer up a lump sum payment to remedy the administrative error.

According to the lawsuit the women also accused the superintendent of acting on his own to recoup the funds. The lawsuit details that Griffin should have moved through the proper channels which includes going through the Chilton County School Board to remedy the situation.