DERRY — With a board of trustees and state approval in place, the NEXT charter high school in Derry can now focus on opening its doors to students for the 2013-14 school year.

The school board first voted to move ahead with an alternative charter high school last December. In the spring, town voters approved a warrant article supporting the school, and earlier this summer the state’s board of education gave its approval for the school.

The charter school is being set up to provide a smaller setting for students who may not necessarily succeed in the larger setting at Pinkerton Academy.

The charter school held its first board meeting earlier this month and began work on the curriculum and budget for the coming year, according to school board member Ken Linehan.

“The application process will begin early next year,” Linehan said. “We’re expecting about 30 students the first year.”

The next meeting of the charter school board is scheduled for Nov. 6, and school co-directors Joe Crawford and Justin Krieger are expected to keep working on the school curriculum.

The operation of the charter high school is expected to be cost neutral to the school district. The district will take the cost for students attending Pinkerton Academy and subtract what it gets in state aid. The difference between the two figures will pay for the students to go to the charter school.

The charter school will be located at the Gilbert H. Hood Middle School, and the school will be renting the space from the district for a nominal annual fee of $1.

The school district will act as the financial agent for the charter school, and the charter school will also be reimbursing the school district for janitorial and nursing services.

With the state approval, the district also received start-up funding for the school.

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.

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