$25 Million Gift Pushes Broader Debate About Charity for Public Schools

Stephen Schwarzman’s $25 million gift to renovate Abington High School, his alma mater, in Pennsylvania, and back a new science and technology center was the culmination of a broader conversation between the billionaire philanthropist and Amy Sichel, the school district’s superintendent, about the need for more public schools to find ways to raise private money.

“Steve and I see this as a way to start a public-private partnership, and we hope other school districts across the country follow,” said Sichel.

The gift, publicly announced this week, was the result of 15 months of talks between Schwarzman and Sichel.

The money will also support changes to Abington’s curriculum, including required classes in computer science and coding and expanded career counseling so students can start exploring career interests earlier in their education. Schwarzman says those efforts are crucial to modernize public education, give public-school students a better chance at success, and make the country much more competitive.

The goal is to make students successful in the world “not how it used to be but how the world’s going to be tomorrow and in the future,” he said.

U.S. public schools have not kept up with the U.S. revolution in technology, he says, and many of today’s students don’t have the training they need to land good-paying jobs in the rapidly evolving economy.

For the United States to advance its competitiveness around the globe, people need to shift their thinking about private donors giving to public schools, he adds. It shouldn’t be seen as controversial, and it doesn’t mean that government funding goes away.

Schwarzman has appeared on the Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 list of the nation’s biggest donors three times.

Falling Behind

Schwarzman says while it would be great if there was enough tax money to provide all of the resources to support up-to-date technology for education, there simply isn’t that kind of government money anymore. People who run public school systems need to recognize that fact and find funding somewhere else, and that is where private philanthropy comes in, he says.

“There are huge numbers of successful people in America who are successful in part because of the education training they had when they were young,” he says. “I think people who can help should help, but I don’t think this is something that should be reserved for the very wealthy few.”

The growth in charity drives and donations to public schools has stirred controversy, with critics contending that the practice is likely to exacerbate inequality as elites pour money into their already well-financed alma maters.

Schwarzman disagrees with that assessment and doesn’t think private money to public schools is controversial. Rather, he says, it just hasn’t been done widely outside of private schools and universities.

Schwarzman was reluctant to say whether he plans to ask his wealthy peers to start supporting similar efforts, but he says this gift is his way to bring attention to the need to provide better opportunities for U.S. public school students and in turn improve the country’s prospects for success in a rapidly changing world.

“I’m taking a public position on this issue because I think it’s important to the U.S. itself,” he says. “I will hopefully continue to be visible on this issue, which should encourage others.”

Big Gifts to Public Schools