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."

Why workbooks go unused

The books were supplemental English and math workbooks that come in a set with textbooks supplied by publishers. Districts or schools typically sign multiyear contracts with textbook publishers, which provide one set of textbooks and supplemental workbooks for every student each year, said Revere Principal Sheila Sammon.

Sometimes, teachers choose not to use the student workbooks. In other cases, schools might switch midstream to a newer textbook that more closely aligns to the questions on state standardized tests, Sammon said. The result is that many of the workbooks go unused, she said.

Bins filled with books

Outside one of the entrances to Paul Revere Elementary on Tuesday, four blue recycle bins were filled with unused workbooks that ranged in price from $10 retail to about $24 each.

There were so many books in each bin at the school in the Bernal Heights neighborhood that they exceeded the weight limit to qualify for a recycling pickup this week. None was the more expensive, hardbound textbooks, which typically are returned to the district.

Revere, a historically low-performing school, has updated its textbooks twice since 2007, Sammon said, adding she had no problem with unused materials being discarded if it meant a better education for the students.

"I do believe that students, particularly the students most at risk and in need, deserve access to the highest quality of materials," Sammon said.

But outdated materials dating to 2007 were taking up precious storage space at the school in rooms Sammon said she needed for students. That led to the decision, which required no district approval, to toss them into the bins.While just giving them to local children might sound like a good idea, it isn't, Sammon said.

The books, filled with math and language arts exercises, don't include the answers.

"Practice makes permanent," Sammon said. "You don't want students working in a workbook and answering incorrectly."

Shipping entire sets of workbooks for donation to needy communities is costly and labor intensive. The textbooks with the actual instruction of the content wouldn't be included, Sammon said.

Recycling appeared to be the most responsible option for the school.

Sending books overseas

Yet across town, longtime Visitacion Valley Middle School Principal Jim Dierke said he makes every effort to find another home for the books before sending them to recyclers. He works with international organizations to send obsolete textbooks and unused workbooks overseas.

Not all new principals have those kinds of connections, he said.

"We ship them off to the Philippines or Samoa," said Dierke, president of the United Administrators of San Francisco union. "My thought is in this day and age, it's always prudent to check and see if others might be able to use them for something before tossing them."