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BLUUM

Bluum

Blog

Bluum is a nonprofit organization helping Idaho become a national model for how to maximize learning outcomes for children and families.

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Building Special Education Leaders From Ground Up

When Jennifer Ribordy joined Bluum in 2020 as the organization’s lone special education staffer supporting about 20 Idaho charter schools, she quickly realized the field had a problem that went deeper than burnout. “Seventy percent of special ed directors currently working have less than five years’ experience in that role,” she said, citing a West Ed study. “When you’re talking about a field that is so compliance heavy, so complicated, so legally precarious, having folks in that role that don’t stay longer than five years is really problematic.” The reasons are layered: resource shortages, complex laws, tense relationships with families, and small schools that can’t afford to split compliance work from leadership. Most directors are promoted by “baptism by fire”—a strong teacher suddenly asked to lead.

North Star-Rolling Hills Charter Merger Shows What’s Possible When Schools Work for Families

Andy Horning wasn’t looking for another school. As head of school at the K-12 North Star Charter School in Eagle, Idaho, he had his hands full with 1,000 students crammed into a single building. His high schoolers shared hallways with sixth graders, competed for gym time with elementary students, and never quite felt like they were in high school. Then the leaders of Rolling Hills Public Charter School called. They had an unexpected proposal. Their K-8 school five miles away in Eagle was losing enrollment. Built for 250, it now held 178. The director, Tara Handy, was retiring. Rather than watch the school spiral toward closure, they wondered: What if North Star absorbed Rolling Hills? Horning walked through Rolling Hills’ empty cafeteria last February, calculating possibilities.

Idaho Education by the Numbers: 2025 Edition

Data in education matters. It can help state leaders make decisions as to what works and what doesn’t in public policy. It can help district and charter network leaders see what’s working in their schools and what might need improvement or replacement. Principals deserve information that helps support students, families, and educators while making informed decisions about how to best utilize resources. Finally, data can help parents and taxpayers better understand what’s happening in their schools and with their children.

The Hollister Charter School: How Conversion Empowered a Remote Idaho Community

In the remote ranching community of Hollister, Idaho, 20 miles southwest of Twin Falls, the local public school has served as an anchor for the community since its construction in 1912. In many ways it’s the community center, hosting monthly hoedowns, Fourth of July picnics, and Christmas gatherings that draw every resident within miles. When the Filer School District faced budget pressures that threatened to close this vital institution, one woman’s determination to preserve the school that had educated her family for generations sparked an innovative solution: converting the district-run Hollister Elementary School into an independent public charter school.

Leadership for a Growing Movement: Nanette Merrill and the Rise of Idaho’s Public Charter Schools

Nanette Merrill’s path to leading Idaho’s public charter school movement might seem unlikely, but it represents a natural evolution driven by one consistent motivation: ensuring children receive the education they deserve. After 17 years at home raising her children, Merrill made a calculation that would reshape her life. “I learned pretty quickly that schools had more waking hours with my children than I did,” she said during a recent interview. That realization sent her back to the classroom in her native Oregon, this time as a teacher determined to create the kind of environment where children felt safe, loved, and engaged in learning.

Gem Prep’s CAO Selected for the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship

Dr. Laurie Wolfe, Chief Academic Officer at Gem Prep, has been selected for the 2025-2026 cohort of the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship, a groundbreaking program formed through a partnership between GSV and Google for Education. Now entering its third year, the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship unites K-12 superintendents and top-level instructional leaders dedicated to working at the intersection of technology and instruction to shape the future of education. By fostering collaboration among these visionary change agents, the Fellowship creates a powerful network that drives advancements in the EdTech landscape, instructional innovation, and student outcomes.

In Honor of Steve Farkas – The Epitome of a Mensch

In early 2023, Margaret Raymond and James Lynn Woodworth, from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), presented findings on the academic performance of Idaho’s public charter schools. They had been studying charter schools in 29 other states, and said CREDO is known nationally as the “charter school analysis people.” In their 2023 presentation to the Idaho State Board of Education they reported, “Idaho’s special education results are among the best that we’ve seen nationally.” Raymond went on to say, “We normally see a much larger offset of learning in the special education community.” She concluded, “There is an overall best practices emerging from the picture that we see over time in Idaho that we think actually could be important for other charter school communities around the country to look at, particularly in poverty and special education.”