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It was recently announced that Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is donating $100 million to help improve Newark’s long-troubled public schools. Those funds will be matched by donations raised by the city, which is also raising $50 million for another youth effort. In other words, Newark’s children will have a lot more money available to them over the next few years.

As part of this agreement, Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will cede some control over Newark Public Schools (currently state-run) to Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Together, they will select a new superintendent, and Mayor Booker will have freedom to redesign the system (though the governor retains formal authority over it).

This partnership is great news in some respects--a Democrat and a Republican overcoming political conflicts, joining forces for the sake of the children. Hopefully it is the first of many such unions across the country.

But I do have some concerns with this set-up. First, we must question the wisdom of short-term infusions of private funds into public schools. While $100 million--or even $250 million--is a lot of money, it won't last forever. What happens when the money runs out?

And second, what is the role of philanthropy in school reform? Some argue, as NYC Chancellor Joel Klein puts it, that while private philanthropy will never be a large part of a system's budget, it is money that can be used for research and development and for innovation. Thanks to this private money, districts don't have to cut other programs for these important but unproven and indirect ways of improving student learning.

But on the other hand, most philanthropists have an agenda. Even here, though he claims that his donation is flexible, Zuckerbeg's interview with TechCrunch gives a sense of the reforms he expects his money to fund--including more charter schools and a larger TFA presence.

Those reforms are not inherently good or bad. Arguments can be made both for and against including them in a district-wide improvement plan. But when reform dollars are committed to predetermined improvement strategies, they can crowd out other innovative ideas, including ideas from those in the system whose valuable experiences could inform long-term solutions. And there is some danger of that in Newark. Consider Governor Christie's remarks at a recent press conference. He took aim at teachers unions, claiming "We're about yes, they're about no. We're about tomorrow, they're about yesterday. We're about the kids, they're about their paychecks."

Such remarks don't indicate a collaborative environment where all parties--and especially classroom experts, who make up the unions--can submit their ideas for honest discussion and consideration. And such an environment is important if sustained change is to occur. Hopefully Booker can change this tone.