Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder and chief executive of Facebook Inc., plans to announce a donation of up to $100 million to the Newark schools this week, in a bold bid to improve one of the country's worst performing public school systems. But in July, he and Mr. Booker met at a conference and began a continuing conversation about the mayor’s plans for the city, according to people familiar with their relationship. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pumped almost $5 billion into K-12 education, awarded Tampa' Hillsborough County School District $100 million last year to overhaul how teachers and trained and evaluated 
 
 No plans have yet been finalized on how the gift to Newark will be spent. "The Social Network," which opens in wide U.S. release Oct. 1, suggests Mr. Zuckerberg may have stolen the idea for his social-networking site 
 
 Mr. Zuckerberg was not available, a spokeswoman for Mr. Christie couldn't be reached, and Mr. Booker declined to comment. Less than a month ago, the governor informed the city’s schools superintendent, Clifford B. Janey, that he would not be rehired, and that the state was looking for a successor.
– Newark's cash-strapped public school system is getting some help from a wealthy friend. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is planning a $100 million donation to improve the system, officials tell the New York Times. Zuckerberg, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker will announce the donation on the Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow. Zuckerberg—who is now richer than Steve Jobs, according to Forbes—has no strong personal connection to the New Jersey city, but insiders say that he has a long-standing interest in education. Zuckerberg has, over the last year, held a series of meetings with people involved in education and developed a relationship with Booker, who will gain some control over the state-run system in conjunction with the gift, say sources. The gift, Zuckerberg's largest charitable donation by far, will come in the form of Facebook stock that will be used to establish a foundation, the Wall Street Journal reports.