Success Academy routinely raises millions of dollars from ultra-wealthy contributors, on top of the public funds it also receives. But a hedge fund manager’s recent gift to Eva Moskowitz’s charter chain stands out for its size: $8.5 million.

This lavish donation, which will be used to help the controversial charter chain expand, may ironically result in yet more public subsidies for this well-heeled network. Thanks to a 2014 state law pushed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the city must cover the rental costs of even the wealthiest charters if the city cannot find suitable space within public school buildings. The city’s rental costs for charters is expected to exceed $32 million for just the last school year and this one.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson’s gift highlights the inequities between charters and public schools. Success, like many other charters, fails to serve the same numbers of high-need students as district schools yet it is rewarded by billionaires eager to undermine public education. Meanwhile, public schools that serve all comers are denied even the public funding they are due. Gov. Cuomo has refused to allocate to New York City schools the $2.5 billion owed under the 2006 Campaign for Fiscal Equity court settlement.

If the Success chain takes advantage of the new state law, it will be able to use the $8.5 million gift for things other than classroom space, and the cost of additional space for its expansion will be on the public’s tab. Either public schools and students will have new charters squeezed into their school buildings, or the city will use its scarce funding to cover rent for Moskowitz’s new or expanded charters.

We’re sure this doesn’t bother Paulson, who is known for having made billions of dollars off the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008 that led to millions of Americans losing their homes.

More recently, he’s cashed in on Puerto Rico’s financial problems by buying up government debt and purchasing large resorts, reportedly part of a larger plan to make Puerto Rico a tax haven and playground for the superrich.

Paulson is apparently an expert at monetizing public pain. Moskowitz excels at undermining public education. No wonder they found each other.