DERRY — The state's Department of Education has approved the Derry School District's plan to open an alternative charter high school at the Gilbert H. Hood Middle School in September 2014.

School Board members Dan Mckenna and Brenda Willis will serve as the school's founding board as it makes the transition to a board of trustees that will be separate from the Derry School District.

The district's attorney is currently drafting a memorandum of understanding concerning the charter school.

The district also received startup funding for the school with the DOE approval.

The state will provide about $200,000 per year in start-up costs for the school's first three years. That money can be used for anything from furniture and equipment to curriculum development.

In addition, the state will also pay $5,400 for each student attending the school.

Once students begin attending the school, there will be a tuition agreement much as the district has with Pinkerton Academy. The tuition revenue will be used to pay for the school's bills and operations, and parents will not be expected to pay, as the charter school will be a public school.

The district's contract with Pinkerton Academy states that up to 10 percent of the district's students do not need to attend high school at Pinkerton.

“There is a lot of work ahead, but this will be worthwhile for our kids,” said Willis.

The focus of the school is to create a small learning environment for high school students who struggle in a traditional setting. It is expected that the enrollment the first year will be between 20 and 30 students.

Middle school administrators Joe Crawford and Justin Krieger prepared the application for the charter school proposal.

“The state board members congratulated them for the thorough and outstanding job they did,” Willis said.

The charter high school will be in the renovated spaces at the Hood School that formerly housed the Derry Early Education Extension Program.

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Adam Swift may be reached at aswift@newstote.com.