NEWARK, N.J. — Some of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million gift to the Newark, N.J., school system will be given directly to public schoolteachers, one year after the donation was announced, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the plans.
The foundation that manages the gift was set to announce a two-year, $600,000 program Wednesday that provides $10,000 grants to teachers, or groups of teachers, who come up with innovative classroom programs, these people said.
It is one of the few programs so far to come out of the high-profile donation, which was announced on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last year by Zuckerberg, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.).
Zuckerberg’s gift drew scrutiny from some Newark residents who are skeptical of outside direction, after years of state control for the city’s school system has done little to alleviate its problems.
City and state officials were set to begin promoting the program at a news conference Wednesday, including Booker, acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf, the new Newark superintendent Cami Anderson and Greg Taylor, the new CEO of the Foundation for Newark’s Future, which is managing the gift.
They were set to review the $6.4 million in grants the foundation has allocated so far — including the new teacher grants — and talk about the future of Zuckerberg’s gift.
Some of the funding has gone toward opening new schools, extending school days and recruiting teachers. The 27-year-old Facebook CEO was not specific about what he wanted the money to be used for.
The foundation has to raise money to match Zuckerberg’s gift, and so far it has raised $47 million in matching funds.
The Newark Public Schools District is state-controlled, and local leaders have fought to get power back to make major decisions about the system’s future, its roughly $900-million annual budget and the hiring of a superintendent.
To read more, go to The Wall Street Journal.