Springfield School Committee's Christopher Collins calls for quick repayment of $1.2 million overpayment to teachers

Collins said underpaying teachers for 14 weeks next year will make up for overpayments this year.

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield School Committee member Christopher Collins has suggested a quick solution to recouping the $1.2 millions in overpayments to Springfield teachers caused by a payroll error.

SPRINGFIELD – As the School Committee held another closed session Friday to consider ways to recover $1.2 million in overpayments to teachers, school board member Christopher Collins called for a simple and quick solution to the matter.

Collins said continuing to pay about 1,400 teachers above their pay scale made no financial sense and possibly violated state law. The best solution would be to subtract from teachers paychecks next year the amount they were overpaid this year, he said.

“To me, it seems pretty simple: I overpaid you for 14 weeks, now I’ll underpay you for 14 weeks,” said Collins, who did not participate in Friday’s executive session because his brother, Timothy, is president of the teachers union.

Superintendent Alan J. Ingram acknowledged two weeks ago that more than half of the city’s teachers had their pay inflated each pay period dating back to September. Ingram attributed the overpayments to a payroll error, and promised to work with teachers and the School Committee to resolve the matter.

As of last week, school officials were still trying to determine how the overpayments occurred, why they went undetected until February, and who was responsible. The next paychecks will reflect the accurate pay rate, school officials said.

Republican file photoTimothy Collins

As leader of the Springfield Education Association, Timothy T. Collins requested a series of repayment options, depending on how much teachers owe.

Neither Ingram nor Timothy Collins could be reached after Friday’s session.

Azell Cavaan, chief school communications officer, said she could not comment on whether a timetable for repayments had been approved or offer details of the discussion.

For the second time in two weeks, the committee decided to close the meeting on the repayments, citing the collective bargaining exemption to the state Open Meeting Law. It was unclear, however, how the repayment schedule was linked to the teacher union contract, and Christopher Collins said the committee appeared to be using a “broad” interpretation of the law to keep the session closed.

“In the best interests of everyone, I think we need closure on this soon,” he said.