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SF school tosses out hundreds of unused workbooks
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 629/11 | Jill Tucker

Posted on 06/29/2011 10:31:22 AM PDT by GSWarrior

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: broke; ca; debt; education; eurofrisco; government; schools; sf; spending; unions
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How does a math book become obsolete?
1 posted on 06/29/2011 10:31:27 AM PDT by GSWarrior
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To: GSWarrior

This is why Pluto was declassified — so we’d have to toss all the textbooks so we can get AGW and Hussein-ified.


2 posted on 06/29/2011 10:33:34 AM PDT by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: GSWarrior

When it was paid for with last years money.


3 posted on 06/29/2011 10:34:11 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: GSWarrior

When the publisher reorders the chapters and pages and calls it a new edition.


4 posted on 06/29/2011 10:35:41 AM PDT by listenhillary (Social Justice is the epitome of injustice.)
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To: GSWarrior

This is not an isolated incident. This happens with school districts all across CA, and the rest of the country. The publisher’s lobby is greatly to blame, as school districts have been forced to purchase new textbooks in all subject areas every few years. This despite much of education hasn’t really changed (Language arts and math) enough to warrant replacement of these textbooks. Replacement of science and history textbooks is appropriate, but not at the rates in which this occurs. The country is going bankrupt, and this is but one of the causes.


5 posted on 06/29/2011 10:36:47 AM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier currently deployed in the Valley of Death, Afghanistan)
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To: GSWarrior

I have looked at some ‘modern’ math books for grade school. They are obsolete in the sense that they are useless.

2+2=be good, recycle
2+3=sustainable
3+3=mmmm,mmmm,mmmm

That type of B.S.


6 posted on 06/29/2011 10:37:38 AM PDT by loungitude ( The truth hurts.)
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To: GSWarrior

It was because it was in English, not because of the subject matter.


7 posted on 06/29/2011 10:43:14 AM PDT by filospinato
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To: GSWarrior

1. When it teaches the kids how to add up the screw-ups perpetrated by the current administration.

2. When it fails to acknowledge that 1 guy + 1 guy = cannot make a baby.

3. When someone on the city council decides it has no “street cred”.


8 posted on 06/29/2011 10:45:43 AM PDT by Pecos (Constitutionalist. Liberty and Honor will not die on my watch.)
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To: GSWarrior
A good one doesn't.

One of our local schools had a parent who was concerned that her child wasn't learning how to do math. After she raised a MAJOR rumpus they agreed to teach Saxon Math in some classes on a "trial" basis. To the surprise of no one except maybe the school board the kids in those classes began to learn math and their grades soared. This went on for two years until the child left to go to another school.

The classes were discontinued the following year and the books were thrown away. Grades dropped back to where they had been.

You may draw your own conclusions.

9 posted on 06/29/2011 10:46:20 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Non plaudite. Modo pecuniam jacite)
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To: GSWarrior

Last year my husband and I bought a school building (the school had consolidated the year before) as an office building for us. We were shocked at what they left, textbooks, library books, desks, computers, science equipment, tv’s...all working and useable.

So, we have been contacting private schools in our area and mission groups offering them the items that were left.


10 posted on 06/29/2011 10:47:58 AM PDT by reaganaut ( "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: GSWarrior
How does a math book become obsolete?

Too much environmentalism and not enough gay rights for this year's math curriculum.

11 posted on 06/29/2011 10:50:23 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! Tea Party extremism is a badge of honor.)
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To: GSWarrior
This happens all over the country.I was a part time custodian in my towns school system and during the summer months when these instructors were cleaning house the dumpster was full of this stuff.I started pulling it out and taking it to the principle....They told me to mind my own business.....I told them to get screwed I paid for those items.......They eventually had a black janitor say I called him a nig and they fired me......I stood my ground said he was a liar and they expunged all records and gave me a good reference else where.

Go to your school and see what gets trashed you will puke

12 posted on 06/29/2011 10:51:11 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
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To: reaganaut

When I was in Grade School, during the Fifties, we were given our books on the first day. We signed our name inside the front cover. Teachers came around and evaluated the condition of the books. We were required to put book covers on all of them, and we turned them back in at the end of the school year. They were expected to be in almost as good condition as when we received them! I remember some books, like Geography, had at least a dozen prior student’s names in them!


13 posted on 06/29/2011 10:58:49 AM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: GSWarrior

“How does a math book become obsolete?”

When it has cruel right-wing Kotch brother funded typos like “1+1=2”.


14 posted on 06/29/2011 10:59:24 AM PDT by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

My mom made book covers out of paper grocery bags....


15 posted on 06/29/2011 11:00:26 AM PDT by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: VanDeKoik; KarlInOhio

How does an English book become obsolete?


16 posted on 06/29/2011 11:01:07 AM PDT by GSWarrior
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To: GSWarrior
How does an English book become obsolete?

Too much phonics and not nearly enough whole word. Also too much use of thou and thee and using the tall form of the letter S.

Seriously, I think text book publishers will go from one teaching method to another every few years even if it is from a better to a worse method just to clear out all the old text books.

17 posted on 06/29/2011 11:08:32 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! Tea Party extremism is a badge of honor.)
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To: Osage Orange

quote—My mom made book covers out of paper grocery bags....—end quote

My Mom did, too!!! :)

And we were in BIG TROUBLE if the books were not in good condition by the end of the school year!


18 posted on 06/29/2011 11:17:59 AM PDT by Radagast the Fool ("Mexico-Beirut with tacos!"--Dr. Zoidberg)
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To: GSWarrior

THIS BS is what happens when the kind of money-grubbing capitalists that Liberals LOVE to loath hook up with the kind of government bureaucracy that Conservatives seek to destroy.

These unholy alliances are a serious form of corruption, but — short of just shooting everyone dead — how do you stop it?

This kind of thing is actively promoted by corrupt minds on both sides of the political aisle. If you come from one side to try and stop it, those involved on the other side will thwart your efforts.

I would go so far as to say that this kind of corruption may well be the ONLY truly “bipartisan” issue that exists.


19 posted on 06/29/2011 11:20:04 AM PDT by HKMk23 (YHVH NEVER PLAYS DEFENSE!)
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To: Radagast the Fool

oops—make that, “were not STIll in good condition at the end of the school year!”


20 posted on 06/29/2011 11:20:35 AM PDT by Radagast the Fool ("Mexico-Beirut with tacos!"--Dr. Zoidberg)
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