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Student uses 11,000 pennies to pay parking tickets

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk

It took bank officials nearly three hours and 40 minutes to count the 11,000 pennies University of North Carolina-Charlotte student Stephen Coyle used to pay his $110 parking ticket fines from the summer term.

Coyle said he knew he was parking illegally, but the bigger problem is how the money is spent by the schools. North Carolina state law only allows schools to keep 20 percent of the money, and the rest is distributed to nearby public schools.

Coyle's method of payment is his way of protesting the system, he told WCNC in Charlotte.

He has started a campaign and distributed fliers to students on campus to raise awareness about the law. Most students are upset when they learn how their money is actually being used, he said.

State Rep. Kelly Alexander said the funding plan for higher and secondary education is inadequate.
"Until we address that issue, we're just moving chairs around on the deck of the Titanic," Alexander said.
As for his repayment, "Getting 11,000 pennies isn't very easy," Coyle said.
It took trips to five banks to get five $25 boxes each containing 2,500 pennies to pay the fine, he said.

Cox Media Group

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