The former South Pymatuning Township Elementary School building may be the future home of a proposed charter school.

Sharpsville school directors on Wednesday discussed renting out a portion of the building to the Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission for a charter school, which would serve elementary and junior high age students with behavioral health needs.

Two existing school districts in Mercer County must support the charter school in order for it to be established, said Sharpsville Superintendent Dr. Derry Stufft. Sharpsville school directors have not yet made that decision.

The commission has offered to rent 20,000 square feet of the building. At the district's rate of $4.50 per square foot, rent would be $90,000 a year, Stufft said.

Currently, Vath Audio Visual and the Mercer County Kennel Club rent space at the school, which also houses district wrestling programs. The school is adjacent to McCullough Run Athletic Complex.

Stufft said the district would still need access to the gym and cafeteria, as well as the restrooms for athletic events at the field and wells to water the grass. He said there should not be a conflict between district athletic events and the charter school, as most of the athletic events are held after school hours.

A motion to approve a rental agreement with the commission will most likely appear on the Nov. 18 meeting agenda. Board members will discuss the issue at the Nov. 11 work session.

South Pymatuning and Seventh Street Elementary schools closed last year after students moved into the newly constructed Sharpsville Area Elementary School on Hittle Drive. The Seventh Street building now houses administrative offices and early childhood programs.