Today powerful philanthropies exercise considerable influence over U.S. educational policy. Referred to as venture philanthropies (Scott, 2009; Saltman, 2010), foundations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation, have emphasized high-stakes accountability and privatization as a recipe for our nation's public schools. In this article, the authors argue that venture philanthropies place the public school system in jeopardy by exposing it to increased turbulence and a painful ethical dilemma: "Should the schools accept needed funds at the expense of giving up on their independence, or should they languish?" The article critiques the current approach of the venture philanthropists, and analyzes their impact through Turbulence Theory and the Multiple Ethical Paradigms. It also discusses international concerns about privatization of schools. It concludes by offering the New DEEL (Democratic Ethical Educational Leadership) vision for a leadership model as a possible alternative choice for educators seeking to escape the venture philanthropists' education policies.