Parents and community members in Chicago discovered dumpsters filled with discarded books and school supplies outside former Acero charter schools amid a transition to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) management. The materials were found over the weekend outside Fuentes Elementary School in Avondale and Santiago Elementary School in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, prompting concern and criticism from local residents.
Sarah Parchem, a mother of a child entering kindergarten, encountered images of the dumpsters on social media and spent several hours retrieving usable items. She, along with others, salvaged books, art supplies, science materials, and toys that had been left in the bins. Parchem expressed her frustration at what she described as a missed opportunity for a more coordinated and sustainable approach to handling the leftover school materials. She said many items were subsequently donated to schools and teacher groups preparing for the upcoming academic year.
The discarded materials included a mix of textbooks in math, science, and technology, as well as numerous children’s storybooks in both English and Spanish, such as “A Movie in My Pillow,” “Salta, Ranita, Salta,” and “Dan Gets a Cat.” Some supplies appeared damaged by weekend rain, while others were retrieved and repurposed by community members. By Monday, CPS had arranged for one dumpster at Fuentes to be hauled away for recycling, and the district stated that the bins were covered at Santiago to protect the contents from weather conditions.
CPS recently assumed control of Fuentes, Santiago, and three other former Acero campuses in July. Acero had announced plans to close seven campuses in 2024 due to financial challenges and declining student enrollment. CPS officials explained that the materials left behind by Acero needed to be cleared quickly to facilitate a smooth transition and said that textbooks not meeting CPS-approved learning standards were designated for disposal or recycling. The district is currently exploring options to collaborate with community partners and organizations to salvage usable materials moving forward.
The incident has drawn criticism from parents who view the waste as particularly problematic amid rising inflation and budget constraints faced by both families and the school district. CPS emphasized that the disposal bins were intended for recycling or donation, not for trash, but acknowledged the complicated logistics involved in managing supplies during school closures and transitions.
Historically, CPS has faced similar challenges following large-scale school closings, previously spending millions to manage leftover items from vacated buildings. Parchem highlighted how the situation underscored the role that local community members, mutual aid groups, and social media can play in supporting schools through grassroots efforts to redistribute educational materials.
Parchem said she plans to donate the rescued books to area schools, libraries, and teacher resource events, reinforcing the concept of a sharing economy within Chicago’s education community as an effective response to avoid waste.