Erin's 'Angel' picks up tab, PennWood senior not as fortunate.

An anonymous donor delivered the necessary money to pay the child's tuition after reading about her plight in the Daily Times.

Ted Geller, a former borough resident who recently moved to Upper Darby, has been pleading with William Penn School District officials to make an exception to the rule and allow his daughter, Erin, to graduate with her friends from the elementary school.

The family moved out of the borough after their house on Blackburn Avenue was foreclosed by the bank.

His little girl, Erin, was ousted on May 17, four weeks before the close of school and sixth-grade graduation with classmates she has known since kindergarten.

Yesterday, after state Rep. Nicholas Micozzie, R-163, and others contacted school district officials, an agreement was reached to accept time payments from Geller, something he has been trying to accomplish all along.

Now the time payments won't have to be made because an anonymous benefactor contacted attorney Jon Auritt offering to foot the bill.

"I have 11 crisp $100 bills in my hand," Auritt said late yesterday. "I had another guy call from Doylestown offering to pay the tuition. I think it's great but really it shouldn't be the humanitarian spirit of strangers. It should be the school district. They should just say they are sorry and apologize and have her come back. They should refuse the money. I'm hoping they won't take the money."

Auritt, a Wallingford-Swarthmore School District board member, says the administrators in his district would never have handled the situation the way William Penn did.

"We would never," Auritt said. "The principal would just say come to school. It would never come before our board.

"There are a lot of good-hearted people out there. Hopefully the (William Penn) district will have a dash of compassion and not accept the money or only accept half since she was out of school for two weeks and there's only two weeks left."

Geller was exhilarated and relieved when he heard of the donation calling it "very God-like."

Geller, a process server, will now be able to return money he borrowed from his boss to make the first installment payment to the district to satisfy the $1,100 tuition.

"I didn't have the money," Geller said. "The person who contacted Jon (Auritt) with the tuition money said he 'felt terrible for Erin' after reading the story. And I don't have to pay it back. I'm just thrilled my daughter is going back to school. She can't believe it's happening.

"I plan to go to Green Avenue (Administration Building) (today) and walk in with the money and then take her to school."

LANSDOWNE -- A senior at Penn Wood High School can identify with Ardmore Avenue Elementary School sixth-grader Erin Geller, both in the William Penn School District, because he was told to leave school too. Yesterday Kareem Cox, 17, formerly of Darby, was called out of his second-period class and told to leave school because his mother moved to Camden, N.J.

Cox will not be able to take his final exams today, placing his plans for graduation in jeopardy.

Cox and his mother, Deborah Everett, have lived in Darby since January. Previously he attended West Philadelphia High School when they were residing in the city.

"My mom moved to Camden because my grandpop died and now she doesn't have to pay rent," Cox said. "Now it looks like I'll have to repeat the whole year because Penn Wood determines whether you graduate or not by your final exam grades and I won't be taking the finals. They didn't have any compassion for a sixth-grader so I know they won't have any for me."

According to the teen, his mother moved to Jersey on Friday (May 31) and called Bell Avenue School, where his sisters attend, to have their records transferred.

Cox said he was not offered the option to pay tuition for the remainder of the term but was told to enroll in Camden.

"They just handed me the papers and said there was nothing they could do," Cox said.

Why do they have to pay tuition? For a couple of weeks? If they're public schools, why are they forced to pay anything?
What am I missing here?

Why do they have to pay tuition? For a couple of weeks? If they're public schools, why are they forced to pay anything? What am I missing here?
If you do not live in the school district, you are not paying the specific taxes that support that district. Some districts will still allow you to attend even if you live outside, as long as you pay tuition.

Why do they have to pay tuition?

They are being asked to pay tuition because they moved out of the district. Presumably people in the district are supporting the school via their property taxes. If you don't live in the district you are not paying the taxes. So, why should the people of a district pay to educate someone who does not live there?

However, pulling the plug with two to four weeks of school left in session is cruel.

If you don't live in the district you are not paying the taxes. So, why should the people of a district pay to educate someone who does not live there?

The mom moved last week, and by Monday they're telling the kid to pack up and leave? Unless the property taxes in that district are paid weekly or daily, then it's highly likely that the mother's share of the property tax (via rent or mortgage) for the school year has already been paid.

This is a preposterous situation ... if the story is accurate, which it very well may not be.

I still like the idea of school vouchers. It would reduce taxes and give the student the option of going to any private school he or she wants to attend.

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