Battling the Zuckerberg blowback: Newark's mayor and Facebook's billionaire have explaining to do
Tuesday, April 26th 2011, 9:40 AM
One of the nation's most compelling education experiments - a $100 million-plus infusion aimed both at saving Newark school children and building a national school reform model - appears at risk of early derailment.
Six months ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a $100 million donation to help turn around Newark schools, to be matched by another $100 million raised by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who is currently at the $44 million mark.
Sounds promising, but what looked like a win-win project quickly slammed into public hostility from local teacher union officials and some politicians.
Booker plans to use the money in part to close failing schools, welcome in high-performing charter schools, lengthen the school day and weaken tenure protections for teachers and principals.
Even with $200 million in new money attached, that kind of agenda is running into profound opposition.
At one recent hearing, a Newark city council member compared the proposed changes to the Tuskegee experiment, where black men were unknowingly enrolled in a medical trial
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