Former head of preschool educational institution No. 18 “Zernyatko” in Ivano-Frankivsk, Tetyana Kuzmenko, known for the scandal with bonuses for her daughter, is trying to return to work. She filed a lawsuit with the Ivano-Frankivsk District Administrative Court against the Department of Education and Science of the City Council, demanding that her dismissal be declared illegal, the order be canceled, her reinstatement in her position and compensation for average earnings during the period of forced absenteeism.
The third party in the case is the director of the Department of Education, Viktoriya Drotyanko. The court hearing is scheduled for September 3.
As previously reported, in 2023–2024, Tetyana Kuzmenko, while serving as the director of the Zernyatko preschool, wrote out bonuses to her daughter, a storekeeper, for a total of 301 thousand hryvnias.
The courts found Kuzmenko guilty of violating anti-corruption legislation — under the article on failure to file a conflict of interest report and taking actions in conditions of a real conflict of interest. She received a fine of 15,300 hryvnias and pleaded guilty during the hearing.
After the facts were made public, the prosecutor's office initiated an internal investigation, and on July 10, Kuzmenko was added to the Unified State Register of Persons Committing Corruption Offenses. On the same day, Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Marcinkiv announced her dismissal. The order to terminate her employment relationship came into effect on July 11.
Despite being included in the register of corrupt officials and the court's decision to impose fines, Kuzmenko is trying to regain her position, which could set a precedent in the education system. Whether she will be able to return to the kindergarten leadership after the high-profile scandal will be decided by the court.
