While talk continues on closing public schools in the city, a new charter school in Newburgh is getting ready for its first day of classes. Our Christian Farrell has the latest on "Newburgh Prep."

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NEWBURGH, N.Y. - "If you've been in education a long time, you still have not had the experience of building a school from the ground up," said Newburgh Preparatory Charter High School Executive Director Tom Fitzgerald.

But that's exactly what Fitzgerald, a man with more than three decades of experience in education, is currently involved in doing. Fitzgerald is the executive director of the Newburgh Preparatory Charter High School. The city's newest institution of learning which aims to give area high school dropouts a second chance.

That second opportunity will happen on the second floor of the Federal Building on Broadway.

"The students will start on August 26th, Monday August 26th," said Fitzgerald.

Until then charter school board members have a lot to talk about. Recruiting students though is at the top of their agenda.

"We have until April 1st to see how many applications we have," said Fitzgerald.

When Newburgh Prep opens in the fall the plan is to have 105 students enrolled in the first year. Those students must be between 16 and 21 years old. A City of Newburgh mailing address isn't a requirement.

"We already have an application from Washingtonville. So, we don't know how this is going to play out," said Fitzgerald.

It's going to play out plenty during the next month. Newburgh Prep officials have planned seven meetings in March to recruit students to go back to high school on Broadway.