CPS under scrutiny as book disposal sparks citywide debate over waste, donation practices, resources in midst of huge budget deficit, contract negotiations
CHICAGO — Carl Schurz High School on the Northwest Side is facing criticism after dumpsters filled with discarded books were discovered outside the campus. The books, ranging from Shakespeare to science textbooks, were spotted on Friday, echoing similar incidents across Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in recent years.
CPS confirmed that the disposal was part of its standard “weeding” process, in which older and outdated materials are removed to maintain a current collection. However, the district has faced questions about why the books were not donated or recycled. A CPS spokesperson stated that all books removed were outdated editions, in line with district policy.
However, in addition to works by Shakespeare, among the discarded titles were “Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard” by Mawi Asgedom, and Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence, raising concerns about the school’s method of disposing of educational resources. Parents argued these were not books to become “outdated”, criticizing CPS for carelessly disposing of usable resources considering the unanimously approved $9.9 billion spending plan for this school year in addition to CPS suffering from a $505 million budget deficit.