STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

What Did New Jersey Do With the $100 Million Mark Zuckerberg Donated?

A report reveals funds are gone and schools are not better.

As Ras Baraka was elected as the new mayor of Newark, N.J., on Tuesday (May 13), a revealing investigative report from The New Yorker was released and reminded the city of a multimillion-dollar donation that is still unaccounted for.

New Jersey native and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced in 2010 while on the Oprah show that he was going to gift Gov. Chris Christie and Mayor Cory Booker with $100 million for schools. 

The large donation was to go toward enhancing education and, according to Zuckerberg, turn Newark into "a symbol of educational excellence for the whole nation." But less than five years later, the money is gone.

Booker agreed to accept Zuckerberg’s donation under the terms that it would be released as matching donations came in and that Booker would replace the current superintendent, The New Yorker reported. Zuckerberg, Christie and Booker worked together to engage private donors from 2010 to 2012.

More than one-fifth, or $20 million, of the funds went to pay for public relations, human resources, communications and data analysis, as well as for teacher evaluations. Many of the consultants were being paid close to $1,000 per day.

Booker also was delayed in hiring a superintendent, but with persistence from Zuckerberg, he hired Cami Anderson. However, roadblocks, such as unplanned contractual payouts and varying interpretations of how to allocate funds, delayed the smooth transition to reform.

While the plans looked great on paper, now more than four years later the money is nearly gone and Newark’s residents are reminded of the educational plight they have faced since the 1967 riots. Booker, Anderson and Christie have yet to clearly explain how or where the money went and furthermore answer why Newark’s public schools still have such a long way to go.

 Follow Dominique Zonyeé on Twitter: @DominiqueZonyee

BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Mary J. BligeMaxwellJill ScottA$AP RockyRick Ross and many more. Click here for more details and info on how to purchase tickets.

(Photo: Charles Sykes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.