Korey Mereness has worked in almost all sectors of public education.
He taught at a traditional high school, ran an alternative school, oversaw adult education and English as a second language programs, and headed up career-technical education initiatives.
But that’s not enough for Mereness.
He will now dive into the world of charter schools as the executive director of the Idaho Public Charter School Commission.
In the new role, Mereness will oversee the application process for potential new charter schools and the licensure process for existing schools. The commission has struggled to keep the position filled since 2023.
“We are extremely happy to have Korey on board as our new executive director,” Charter School Commission Chairman Alan Reed said. “His depth of knowledge about Idaho’s students, career-technical education, and teacher preparation will be extremely valuable. The commission is ready to get to work with our new executive director for Idaho charter school students.”
Mereness didn’t originally set out to be an educator; golf was his first passion. After leaving the U.S. Army in 1995, Mereness pursued a career as a golf professional.
As a father with young children, the schedule full of weekend golf lessons and busy summers just wasn’t working, Mereness said.
“One thing that golf did for me was make me realize that I love teaching,” Mereness said.
After earning a degree in secondary education from Boise State University, Mereness started working at Middleton Alternative High School in 1999 before moving on to teach communication and technology in Nampa.
He then served as a vice principal and principal for Nampa School District.
“I think I wanted to make a greater impact in a school and being an administrator allowed me to do that,” Mereness said.
However, while in Nampa, Mereness was tried and acquitted in 2004 on a charge of sexual abuse of a child. He retained his teaching license following the not guilty verdict and continued teaching in Nampa.
“The way I have moved forward in my career is I’ve always allowed space to have discussions,” Mereness said. “If people have had questions, I’ve always been willing to talk about that.”
In 2010, he moved to Oregon where he oversaw adult education programs at Treasure Valley Community College.
By 2016, Mereness was ready to return to Idaho, and at Idaho State University, he held a job similar to his Treasure Valley Community College position.
“Navigating the challenges that come with those programs is really exciting,” he said.
In 2020, he began working for Idaho’s career-technical education division overseeing the state’s adult education and GED programs. He then became the director of federal programs before moving up to the role of chief educator officer, which he held until this month.
When Jacob Smith, the former executive director of the charter commission resigned this winter, outgoing State Board of Education head Joshua Whitworth added the commission job to his plate; Whitworth was also heading the CTE division on an interim basis.
At CTE, Whitworth needed support and asked Mereness to “lean in” and help out.
The commission and Gov. Brad Little quickly saw that Mereness would be a good fit for the charter commission job.
”When Governor Little and his administration through the commission asked me to serve in this capacity I came and answered that call,” he said. “I really fully support the governor’s vision for education in Idaho and I really believe that the work we’re doing here at the commission supports that.”
He developed a three- to five-year plan for the commission, focused on ensuring operating procedures are consistent, transparent and make sense to the charter administrators he’ll deal with on a daily basis.
Mereness plans to spend his first few months on the job building relationships before making major changes.
“The big part for me is developing relationships with these people so I can understand where they’re at and what they’re doing,” he said. “At the end of the day my biggest concern is how are students doing? Are they successful?”
