Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to donate $100-million dollars to help Newark public schools last week on the Oprah Show. According to the Wall Street Journal Mr. Zuckerberg is setting up a foundation with $100-mill of Facebook stock to be used to improve education in America. Zuckerberg grew up in Westchester, attended Harvard University and now lives in California - He has no particular connection to Newark however in July he and the Newark Mayor, Cory Booker met at a conference and began a continuing conversation about the mayor's plans for the city. The donation has the potential to be matched by the mayor himself which would amount to over 20% of Newark's total budget of $940-million. Mayor Booker has been working on raising funds from private foundations and others and had this to say about the Zuckerberg donation: "I am so grateful that so many are stepping forward after Mark Zuckerberg's announcement to answer our call to action and share our commitment in the limitless potential of Newark's students. From funders to community members there is something for each of us to do. Investing in educational excellence today will create the foundation for Newark's prosperity and competitiveness in the decades ahead."
