BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An Alabama teacher of the year resigned this week over issues with her state teaching certification and delayed paychecks from Birmingham City Schools.

Ann Marie Corgill, the 2015 Alabama Teacher of the Year who was also a finalist for National Teacher of the Year, transferred from the Mountain Brook school district to Birmingham City Schools this year, but after only a few months on the job, she’s throwing in the towel, AL.com reports.

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She outlined several frustrating reasons why she made the decision in her resignation letter to school officials Oct. 27.

Corgill explained that she was initially excited to land a job in the district, but was caught off-guard when officials shifted her from a second-grade teaching position to a fifth-grade classroom at Oliver Elementary School shortly after the start of the year.

“Although making the mover from second to fifth grade after a month of school was extremely challenging, I wanted to do what was best for our school and the children and have worked long hours to give these fifth graders my best teaching, my support, and my love,” Corgill wrote.

“With the help and encouragement of my colleagues, the children and I have learned and grown significantly these past five weeks. I see growth I their work and hope I their eyes. It makes me proud to see what’s possible when the children begin to trust me and believe in themselves.”

But despite the mix-up and longer hours required to shift gears, Corgill wasn’t being paid because of some sort of payroll issue. Then she received a call from district officials alleging she’s not qualified to teach students past third grade, which Corgill later confirmed with state officials.

“I have both Class A and Class B teaching Certificates endorsed in Early Childhood with highly qualified status and hold National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist, certified nationally to teach children ages 7-12,” Corgill wrote in her resignation letter.

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“I was informed I would have to submit an application for an Alabama K-6 Certificate, pay fees, take two Praxis tests and then receive certification after review of my application,” she continued. “After 21 years of teaching in grades 1-6, I have no answers as to why this is a problem now, so instead of paying more fees, taking more tests, and proving once again that I am qualified to teach, I am resigning.”

The pay issue also caused her serious problems.

“In addition to the certification issue, I did not receive my paycheck for my first month of work, an oversight of the finance department at the board to directly deposit my check,” Corgill wrote. “Friday, October 23, I was paid, and I am still waiting for a letter from the director of payroll to explain this error and avoid a lower credit rating. The frustration of dealing with creditors and overdrafts and trying to make phone calls to remedy the situation during the school day while with the children and simply trying to pay bills and make ends meet is stressful at best.”

Corgill said in a statement to the media that blamed her decision to leave the district on a “wall bureaucracy.”

“When the news came that I was not considered highly qualified, my frustration boiled over,” she said, according to National Public Radio.

NPR reports Corgill’s decision “has made waves in the education community and beyond,” which the veteran teacher hopes will send a message.

“It’s time to bring joy, professionalism, and pride back to the profession,” said Corgill, who plans to continue her teaching career elsewhere. “It’s time we speak up so that all schools can attract and retain the most highly qualified teachers. If I can be that voice for thousands of colleagues and children, I will certainly and always be that voice and that teacher.”

NPR also pointed to another top teacher who resigned this year – Stacie Star, a ninth-grade intervention specialist in Ohio’s Elyria City Schools who won a “LIVE! 2014 Top Teacher” award from “LIVE! With Kelly and Michael” show this spring, the Morning Journal reports.

Starr said in February she quit because of an overemphasis on standardized testing.

“They’re changing the rules while we’re in the game, and they’re making new rules weekly,” Starr said. “It’s not fair. It’s not a fair assessment for the kids. We’re trying to prepare them the best we can for the unknown, and for what reason?”