The Idaho Charter School Association launched Friday with the announcement that Nanette Merrill, founding principal of Gem Prep Meridian North, will serve as its executive director. 

The association seeks to connect charter school leaders, provide training and advocate on behalf of charters in statewide conversations.

ICSA seeks to fill a gap in Idaho, Merrill said. Most states with charter schools have an association where member schools come together for peer support and advocacy. 

Currently in Idaho, Bluum, a nonprofit organization headed by Terry Ryan, has filled the role of supporting charter schools both financially and operationally. Bluum receives significant financial support from federal grants and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation. 

The Idaho Charter School Network, a 501(c)(4), has lobbied on behalf of Idaho charter schools. 

ICSA will bridge the gap, working closely with the network and Bluum to provide support to Idaho schools. 

“Over the last decade we have witnessed tremendous growth in the number of new public charter school seats with the addition of almost 20,000 new seats. With this growth comes new challenges and opportunities,” said Ryan, who also serves as ICSA board chair.

From parent to teacher

Merrill grew up in Idaho and initially went to college to study accounting but decided to stay home to care for her four children. 

As her youngest child headed into preschool, Merrill thought about the next phase of her life and just how much time her children were spending at school.

“As a mother, dropping my children off to school every day, you leave a part of your heart with the school and that’s huge,” Merrill said. “I wanted to provide that learning environment that parents felt very confident, my child is loved and safe there and learning at a high quality.”

Merrill went back to school to become a teacher. She taught grades K-2 in Oregon at traditional public schools for about 10 years. 

In 2013, she was named Oregon State Teacher of the Year. Merrill spent the next year traveling across the state, to national conferences, and even internationally learning about education systems. 

That experience left Merrill feeling confined by the walls of her classroom and ignited a desire to have a larger impact, she said. 

She spent two years as a school administrator in Oregon before returning to Idaho in 2018 to help open Gem Prep Meridian. 

Being able to create a culture of student support and achievement from scratch at Gem Prep helped Merrill see how important alternative options are for families. 

“You’re creating a product that’s serving a very unique population,” she said. 

Merrill went on to help open Gem Prep Meridian North in 2021. When ICSA began its national search for an executive director, Merrill again felt the call to make a bigger impact. 

“Nanette is a force for good. Every school, every team, every student she interacts with becomes better. She has been successful in the traditional school world as well as founding two of the top-performing charter schools in Idaho,” said Jason Bransford, CEO of Gem Innovation Schools. “She is an Idaho native who knows the educational landscape of our state from top to bottom as well as anyone you will find.” 

ICSA is still in the launch phase, Merrill said. Her first priority is to build relationships with charter leaders statewide and set foot in as many schools as possible, once she’s moved from interim director to full-time in July. 

Merrill said she’s excited to see the breadth of educational styles that Idaho charters offer and how they come together to support students and families. 

“The bottom line is we all have the same goal and that’s to create these amazing human beings that are going to be successful in life,” Merrill said. “The beautiful thing is that public charters have all these beautiful options to meet those unique needs.”

She hopes to help build consensus among charter leaders on lobbying and advocacy issues for next year and hear what resources they’d like to get from ICSA membership. ICSA has yet to come up with a dues schedule for new members. Merrill’s salary is currently being paid through a grant from the City Fund. 

While Merrill is the ICSA’s sole employee, she said the association’s board has been a valuable resource as she navigates what the group will look like. 

The board includes: 

• Andy Johnson, Sage International Network of Schools.
• Chris Yorgason, Yorgason Law Offices, PLLC.
• Jason Bransford, Gem Innovation Schools.
• Marcia Aaron, Charter School Growth Fund Partner.
• Michelle Ball, Alturas Academy Network.
• Monica White, Elevate Academy Network.
• Steven Lambert, American Classical Schools of Idaho.
• Terry Ryan, Bluum.
• Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

Disclosure: Idaho Education News also is funded with grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.