Booker and Christie met Friday with the Facebook founder, who is donating $100M to Newark schools, at the annual Sun Valley conference in Idaho
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Gov. Christie, Mayor Booker, and Mark Zuckerberg announced on "Oprah" a $100 million donation by Zuckerberg for Newark schools.Almost a year after making international headlines for education philanthropy, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg met Friday with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Gov. Chris Christie in Idaho to discuss Newark’s school reform efforts.
The annual Sun Valley conference regularly draws some of the world’s most influential executives and media personalities. Last year, the conference facilitated Booker’s chance encounter with Zuckerberg in a dinner buffet line, a meeting that sparked the young billionaire’s $100 million gift to the Newark schools.
"We sat down, had lunch and just gave him a quick update on the progress," Booker said by phone tonight. "He had read articles about (Newark schools Superintendent) Cami Anderson, and he was very pleased with the progress we were making. He was excited that we are moving the ball forward."
Booker described the meeting as an "informal lunch" and would not discuss further details of the conversation.
The conference also drew the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, on whose show Booker, Christie and Zuckerberg officially announced last year his donation of $100 million, challenging Newark to raise another $100 million.
So far, city leaders have raised $44 million to match Zuckerberg’s gift. Some funds have already been spent on a community outreach effort, a diagnostic review of the district and assistance for new district high schools.
Booker is known for his fundraising prowess and the conference would have been a target-rich environment, but he declined to say how much more money was raised for Newark’s schools at the event.
The effort to reform Newark’s state-run schools will begin in earnest this fall when Anderson begins her first academic year in control of the 40,000-student district. She has not yet given specific details of her plans, but has said empowering the district’s principals to make changes at the school level is a top priority.
Christie will also begin fighting for his education reform agenda, including mandating changes to how districts grant tenure and evaluate teacher performance, when the Legislature meets this fall.
By David Giambusso and Jessica Calefati/The Star-Ledger
Previous coverage:
• Youth advocate chosen to administer $100M Facebook grant to Newark schools
• Report used to slam schools on 'Oprah' actually praises Newark, N.J. education efforts
• Newark schools come closer to meeting $100 million matching funds goal
• Newark's $100M grant is a result of collaboration, preparation and fate
