SF school tosses out hundreds of unused workbooks

[RandySF]

Hundreds of never-used English and math workbooks were tossed into the recycling bin last week at a San Francisco school, stunning neighbors who called it a waste of taxpayer money, particularly at a time when budget cuts are forcing the district to lay off teachers, increase class sizes and eliminate summer school.

"My first thoughts were: Here's the district begging for money, and they're throwing out perfectly good, unread, unused books," said David Toerge, who lives across the street from Paul Revere Elementary School and first saw the books Friday.

The practice of tossing unused and obsolete books isn't unheard of, district officials said.

"It is standard practice to donate or recycle unused workbooks when they are no longer useful at a school site," district spokeswoman Heidi Anderson said in an e-mail. "Typically, staff will let other schools know the workbooks are available, contact charities, etc. If a new home for the workbooks isn't found, they can be recycled."



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/28/MN1S1K3N7H.DTL#ixzz1QibFNIHd

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. In Tallahassee, Florida, the school warehouse has certain hours it opens to public

The public may then select from among the 'trashed' books (which are actually shelved in an area on the side.

I've gone to pick up books. There aren't too many ever, because so many people go to the warehouse to find books.

SF needs to think about doing this next time.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. good idea. n/t

[senseandsensibility]

2. When our school district adopts new texts and the old ones

are discontinued, we are told that we can donate them to students. Believe it or not, they are glad to get them. I've done this with workbooks and hardcover texts. My students are English language learners and they love to have materials to work on at home. Of course, they are only second and third graders. Some of them say that they will use them to 'play school."

[Sherman A1]

3. Gee, one wonders how many districts across the country

may have been able to use those books? Perhaps some devastated by the recent tornadoes? Perhaps those in bad economic times? Perhaps a thousand different places and these "esteemed" folks sent them to be recycled.......


:argh: :wtf: :spank: :banghead:

[MichiganVote]

5. You know it really honks me off when people don't consider a few unknown facts

Most school districts have contracts with these educational publishers which prohibit the use of the workbooks minus the adjoining teacher manual and supportive materials. In addition, most school district decisions are driven by the various curriculum committees and or the school board. Also, the workbook series may not address the marvelous need to teach to the state mandated testing presented to districts from politicians on high.

Have you asked a politician to fix your car lately?

Give you a root canal?

Perform a surgery?

So let's assume that politicians haven't the least idea what to do with education and helping kids learn. Let's educate ourselves about what the new educational laws really mean in place of what we want them to mean when we're fed up or pissed off. Let's consider inhibiting a few snap judgments about educators and school districts. This school district and its EDUCATORS have considered any or all of the possibilities about these or other curriculum materials. Something that you couldn't bribe a dead broke politician to do.

Quit piling on schools without some background information.

[Sherman A1]

6. So

these workbooks are better in a recycle bin?

There is no where they could have gone and been useful?

There are no schools or districts in this country that could have found a use for these workbooks, because you know for a fact that no other district uses the same material?

I am not piling on schools without background information, I am simply asking questions and wondering why the administration in this district did not do the same?

[MichiganVote]

7. Well there are 15,750 or so public school districts in the US so how many will

satisfy you? In the past some districts will send their used materials to a country like Haiti but then people complained the kids there were getting the left overs.

In many localities in the United States, the curriculum mainly taught in public schools is influenced by the textbooks used by the teachers. Some states select textbooks for all students at the state level. California and Texas are a huge market for textbook publishers so these states exert considerable influence over the content of the curriculum materials which results in the need for continuous teacher training.

These are the main suppliers of curriculum materials in the US.

Pearson Education (including such imprints as Addison-Wesley and Prentice Hall)
Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson Learning)
McGraw-Hill
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
John Wiley & Sons
Jones and Bartlett Publishers
F. A. Davis Company
W. W. Norton & Company
SAGE Publications
Flat World Knowledge
* Bookboon.com


So 15,000+ public schools, plus mucho private or charter schools, plus home schooling---these companies are making the real money of education by changing out the required state mandates.

[Sherman A1]

8. You are absolutely correct and I am completely wrong.

My humble apologies for asking a simple question. I am so happy that we have you here to help us!

[MichiganVote]

10. Actually you asked three questions in your post as a means to infer your disgust.

[Luminous Animal]

13. Workbooks are generally useless without the accompanying textbook. It would be akin to sending only

left shoes to the shoeless.

[REP]

11. They should not have been bought in the first place

Most of them are unusable because they are trash BEFORE they're thrown away. Teachers hate them, and don't want them, but corporations need to make money off public schools.

Why aren't more people (not you - just in general) asking why there is so much corporate money-making in our public (not charter, not private - PUBLIC) schools? I want to pay taxes to educate citizens, not add numbers to the corporate bottom line.

[MichiganVote]

4. Blame NCLB-if and when the items no longer teach to the test, they're disposed of.

And since politicians are now in charge of your child's education and they change the required information needed to teach to the "test" schools are required to change curriculum objectives often.

HOWEVER

Most HS students are using books that are in need of replacement or repair and since these cost way more than a few workbooks....they remain. Or are not returned by students.

[EFerrari]

9. So what was the school supposed to do with all those unused workbooks?

Exactly?

They're no good without the text and the teaching.

Maybe, make paper mache brains for Chronicle reporters?

[Luminous Animal]

14. Jesus Fucking Christ...The textbooks with the actual instruction of the content wouldn't be included

That means that they are useless. As is the Chronicle. What a waste of newspaper.

Unrec for yet another idiotic report from an out of town produced rag that wouldn't give a shit about San Francisco if the entire city were ablaze.