Benioff takes hands-off approach with donations to S.F. schools
The list of high-tech moguls looking to disrupt, remake, revamp and ultimately “fix” public education is long — from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg, not to mention William Hewlett and David Packard, to name a few.
In San Francisco, the big name in education philanthropy is Marc Benioff, but his patience and hands-off approach to change are a departure from many of his peers.
The Salesforce.com founder continues to test that approach, and will announce Monday that his long-term commitment to city schools will include a $6 million grant for this school year.
It’s the third year in a row the CEO and his Salesforce.com Foundation has written a multimillion-dollar check to the school district — and not the last, Benioff said in an interview. This is the third year in a long-term investment program, he said, with a goal of $100 million and the best schools in the country.
Public education in the U.S. is a big liability, and it will take the full weight of society to turn it into a great asset, Benioff said. But people overestimate what they can do in one year, while underestimating what they can do in 10.
Benioff is in it for the 10 years, he said.
“We’ll do anything to make SFUSD a successful school district,” Benioff said. “You can see we’re taking this very seriously.”
Benioff’s nondisruptive, few-strings-attached tech philanthropy is rare in the public school world, where “fixing” often means take-it-or-leave-it funding tied to a giver’s vision. Many have their own ideas about how to fix schools, focusing funds on pet projects to improve teaching, reorganize high schools or push a more modern version of vocational education.
Donor stipulations vary
The Gates Foundation, for example, pushed the small schools movement several years ago, offering districts like Oakland Unified millions of dollars, but only if they opened new schools that limited the number of students enrolled. The effort left the city with too many schools and not enough money to support them after the Gates infusion ran out.
In New Jersey, Zuckerberg donated $100 million to “save” public schools through an imposed reform agenda that focused on charter schools and a union-opposed idea to revamp teacher compensation, a controversial effort that produced questionable results.
“Philanthropy is a long-term game, and not many people get that or have the patience for it,” said Suzanne DiBianca, president of the Salesforce.com Foundation. “You have to shoulder up support in a way that’s much deeper than just throwing Benioff takes hands-off approach with donations to S.F. schools - SFGate: