Dayton schools suing to get back $11,000 overpayment

Dayton Public Schools is suing an ex-employee because it says the former student behavioral specialist didn’t repay the extra $11,124.92 that showed up in her April 26 pay.

The suit filed in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court alleges that Collins submitted her resignation three days after the overpayment. That was the same day a reversal of the extra money from a payroll system computer glitch could not be made due to insufficient funds in Asia Collins’ bank account.

“We’ve made several efforts to get the money back in an amenable agreement and that sort of thing and it simply has not happened,” said attorney Anne Keaton of Subashi & Wildermuth, who is representing Dayton Public Schools. “Our last resort is to file suit, but something that we thought we had to do.”

A man who answered Collins’ phone and identified himself as Collins’ husband said they needed to talk to an attorney before commenting on the suit.

Collins worked at Dunbar High School and ultimately earned a bi-weekly salary of $809.00. The April 26 direct deposit was for $11,933.92.

The suit also said the erroneous payment was due to “an entry error with a new payroll system.” District officials said the overpayment was an isolated incident.

Keaton said: “It’s rather unfortunate. Mistakes happen and this was simply a mistake of an entry in a new (computer) system that led to this payment output.”

The suit said Collins was sent a memo May 21 that the district expected her to repay the money and that she sent the district an email about the subject on June 3.

Keaton said the civil action is separate than any criminal investigation. No criminal case involving theft shows up in Dayton Municipal or Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

Collins was named in an Aug. 9 Dayton Daily News story as having 28 delinquent red light, speeding or parking tickets — the second-highest amount — issued from the city of Dayton.

Collins’ personnel file indicates the Trotwood-Madison High School graduate was hired Aug. 20, 2012 and had a one-year educational aide permit issued by the State of Ohio Dept. of Education. Her previous experience was listed as working at Yolanda’s Playhouse and Learning Center, as a freshman success coordinator at Trotwood-Madison and as a para-professional (teacher’s aide) at Life Skills of Dayton.

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