Bluum And Its National Influence
While Bluum’s primary mission focuses on transforming education in Idaho, its influence has increasingly extended well beyond state borders. As Bluum has refined its approach to charter school development, authorizing, and financing, education leaders nationwide have taken notice, making Idaho an unexpected laboratory for educational innovation.
An emerging national model
What began as a state-specific initiative has evolved into something far more influential. Idaho’s growing importance in the charter school landscape has surprised even experienced national observers.
“Idaho is among the most important charter school states in the country, if not the most,” said Jed Wallace, former president of the California Charter Schools Association and an influential national charter school advocate.
“We’ve just had this chance, this perfect window to do work in Idaho. The window was a little bit later than other places where some lessons learned could be absorbed, and the political context was conducive and receptive. The state’s growing enrollment situation helped as well,” Wallace said.
Jim Goenner, President and CEO of the National Charter School Institute, said the partnership between Bluum and JKAF makes Idaho a uniquely rich environment, and one that bears replicating.
“In some ways, philanthropy is a powerful lever for change. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes it makes even a greater mess of things,” Goenner said. “One of the things that’s really unique about Bluum and the relationship with the Albertson foundation is how they have found a way to leverage the philanthropy with Bluum and the CSP grant money to have really a disproportionate impact.”
Starlee Coleman, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said many other state organizations look up to Bluum as an exemplar.
“The National Alliance has a community of practice for charter support organizations that have CSP grants. Terry and his team have very much, emerged as leaders in that community,” Coleman said. “People look to them for how they sorted out problems, how they’re being creative, how they’re maximizing the resources that they have.”
[Bluum was] one of the early state support organizations to actually apply and receive the federal CSP grant (second in the nation, after Oklahoma). They’ve been a model for a lot of others. Culture-wise, they’re eager to help support others. I think they see it as part of their charge with the grant to help disseminate best practices.
Exporting Charter School Program grant expertise
One of Bluum’s most concrete national contributions has been helping other states navigate the complex process of applying for and administering federal Charter School Program grants.
“They were one of the early state support organizations to actually apply and receive the federal CSP grant (second in the nation, after Oklahoma),” Goenner said. “They’ve been a model for a lot of others. Culture-wise, they’re eager to help support others. I think they see it as part of their charge with the grant to help disseminate best practices.”
This expertise transfer has been particularly important to several states seeking to build their charter sectors. Goenner continued: “They’ve really been proactive in trying to support other state organizations in applying and strategizing, applying, receiving, managing and reporting on the federal grant, all of which are big pieces.”
Goenner said that states like Utah, Montana, New Mexico, and others have directly benefited from Bluum’s guidance: “CSP isn’t new. The CSP not being with state departments of education and being with state support organizations is new. And managing a federal grant of that magnitude is a lot of work, both programmatically, but also management and administration, reporting to the federal government and being ready for audits.”
Matt Pahl, Executive Director of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, which received a $52.8 million CSP grant in 2023, said Bluum’s counsel has been instrumental in helping the organization manage the daunting grant requirements.
““Bluum has been a critical touchstone for us as we launch our own grant,” Pahl said. “They seem quite invested in spreading their best practices and have great collaborators on their team. Their help and thought partnership streamlined our implementation. Thank you, Bluum!”
Strengthening authorizing practices
Through its partnership with authorizers, Bluum has helped improve charter school quality control systems, creating models that can be replicated elsewhere.
“When you think about incubating quality schools, there are things they can do that an authorizer can’t do,” Goenner said. “Conversely, there are things an authorizer can do that the state support group can’t do. So, creating the synergy between those two is a powerful component. We’re on the cusp of learning how powerful that can be going forward.”
Goenner said this partnership model between support organizations and authorizers has influenced his work with authorizers in other states.
Balancing advocacy and support
As Bluum has matured, its relationship with advocacy has evolved, offering lessons for other state-based organizations. The recent development of the Idaho Charter School Association as a full-blown advocacy organization, with a new, dynamic executive director in Nanette Merrill is encouraging to charter supporters across the country.
“I’ve been pushing [Terry] on advocacy structure and I’m giving credit to Bluum for recognizing that sector needs that additional advocacy presence,” Jed Wallace said.
This shift represents a natural evolution for charter support organizations as they mature, Wallace said. “The key question for advocacy excellence in Idaho is going to be the degree to which the ICSA genuinely becomes an independent, sustainable entity. Our experience is in many places where the charter school advocacy remains in the basement of another organization… it will just result in a wounded organization.”
Challenges for the future
While Bluum’s national influence continues to grow, interviews revealed several challenges that will shape its future impact.
Goenner identified emerging policy questions around school choice, in Idaho specifically and nationally through the expansion of school choice to include things like universal school choice, education savings accounts and tax credit programs like the one Idaho passed in 2025. “How do Terry and Bluum navigate excellent chartering within that broader context of change? For so many years, charters were the school choice path, but now there’s multiple school choice paths,” he said.
