https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/education/23newark.html
Facebook Founder to Donate $100 Million to Help Remake Newark’s Schools
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑASEPT. 22, 2010
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive and a founder of Facebook, has agreed to donate $100 million to improve the long-troubled public schools in Newark, and Gov. Chris Christie will cede some control of the state-run system to Mayor Cory A. Booker in conjunction with the huge gift, officials said Wednesday.
The three men plan to announce the arrangement on Friday on the “Oprah Winfrey Show.”
The changes would not formally relax the legal power the state seized in 1995, when it declared Newark’s schools a failure and took control of the system, replacing the elected school board with a mostly toothless advisory board. Rather, Mr. Christie plans to give the mayor a major role in choosing a new superintendent and redesigning the system, but to retain the right to take control back.
For now, at least, the arrangement tightens an already friendly relationship between the governor, a Republican, and the mayor, a Democrat who was once seen as a likely challenger for the State House in 2013. It also promises to be a rare happy moment in a state troubled by budget crises, scandals, political infighting and, most recently, the loss of a $400 million federal education grant because of a clerical error.
Mr. Zuckerberg, 26, who grew up in Westchester County and now lives in California, has no particular connection to Newark. But in July, he and Mr. Booker met at a conference and began a continuing conversation about the mayor’s plans for the city, according to people familiar with their relationship.
Mr. Booker, an advocate of school choice, has been traveling the country, meeting business leaders and celebrities, proselytizing and raising money for Newark. Ms. Winfrey has been one of his biggest supporters, and has given millions of dollars to schools and other organizations in Newark over the last few years.
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Recent Comments
Susan Josephs September 23, 2010
Corey Booker was on the board of directors of Newark's charter school, North Star Academy, where my daughter taught.She was always telling…
BK September 23, 2010
Mazel Tov Marc for doing the best, helping school children have a positive education. Glad to see you doing great things with your success.
Mrs. Shalaby September 23, 2010
Isn't it funny that 100 million is just enough to cover the deficit that Cory Booker announced last July, afte which he delcared that he…
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The $100 million for Newark is the initial gift to start a foundation for education financed by Mr. Zuckerberg. This would be by far the largest publicly known gift by Mr. Zuckerberg, whose fortune Forbes magazine estimated last year at $2 billion.
Mr. Booker, Mr. Christie and Mr. Zuckerberg all declined to be interviewed on Wednesday. The officials who spoke about the plan did so on the condition of anonymity because it was two days before the scheduled announcement.