If we set the bar higher, we would be a failing school.

Hardly any of the $100 million Zuckerberg ponied up went into a charter school program in Newark. Less than $5 million. That $100 million never stood a chance with all of the entrenched corruption and waste that plagues that sewer system of a municipality.

The vast majority of the money ACTUALLY went toward a contract with the teacher's union, for what it is worth -- about $50 million, including $31 million that went to retroactive pay that was back owed.

That money never made it near anything productive in Newark because of the corrupt political system in which money gets slung around and wasted. ... and all of the vultures who pounce whenever a little public money becomes available. That money was mostly gone within 2 years -- with not much to show for it. $100 million doesn't even make a dent in the gladhanding, special interest world you seem to otherwise love.

 

Explainer: What's Become of Zuckerberg’s $100M Gift to Newark Schools - NJ Spotlight

Where the money has gone
Following is a breakdown of major contributions of $1 million or more, so far, according to FNF.

• $48 million: NTU teachers contract, including $31 million in retroactive pay to teachers and the balance for new performance bonuses to “highly effective” teachers and those working in high-needs schools.
  
  
• $5 million: Newark Charter School Fund, a fund aimed to support and leverage charter school growth in the city
  
  
• $4 million: Newark Public Schools technical assistance grant, distributed to the district in Anderson’s first two years to help build human resources and other administrative capacity
  
  
• $3.5 million: New rewards administered by the Newark Education Trust for principals working in high-needs schools and showing highest achievement growth.
  
  
• $2.8 million: NPS Diagnostic and Transition Phase, for audit and other diagnostic studies of the district in Anderson’s first months.
  
  
• $2 million: PENewark, a public relations campaign in 2010 that surveyed residents and held community forums on educational reform and improvement.
  
  
• $1.2 million: My Very Own Library, an ongoing program that allows students in select schools to choose 10 books for their home “libraries.”
  
  
• $1 million: Teach for America, the national teacher placement program, for recruitment and support of teachers in the first two years of the gift.
  
  
• The balance of the money spent went to smaller programs and schools, some for start-up and others to help support ongoing work. These ranged from $15,000 to NJ After 3, the after-school program, to $550,000 for the new all-boys school in the district. The foundation also continues to pay $10,000 grants to individual teachers or teams of teachers proposing innovative and promising strategies.