Sharpsville school directors have approved the establishment of a new charter school that will be housed in one of its buildings, but one board member opposed it, saying the board needed more time for discussion.

School Director Donna Murray cast the lone "no" vote Wednesday against the Advanced Charter Enterprise School, which will be run by Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission. She first tried to remove the item from the agenda, then made a motion to table it. Both failed.

Mrs. Murray said the board needed more time to read over and discuss the lengthy charter school application. Board members received the application on Friday.

"Unless you're a speed reader, there's no way all of us could have digested all of this over Thanksgiving weekend," she said.

She also pointed out that the application was dated Nov. 15, three days before the board's last meeting, but board members did not receive it until last week.

"This manual should have been delivered to us so we could have time to digest it," she said.

Two existing school districts in Mercer County must support the charter school in order for it to be established. Commodore Perry school directors approved the charter on Monday, said Superintendent Dr. Derry Stufft. Before the vote, he asked board members to consider being a part of the charter.

The boards who charter the school have the opportunity to review it yearly.

The school, which will be for elementary and junior high students with behavioral health needs, would be governed by an 11-member board made up of six founders or designees, two parents of students in the school and three people active in the community. Projected enrollment for the first year is 48 students.

Last month, the board approved a three-year lease of the former South Pymatuning Elementary School building to Behavioral Health for $90,000 a year to house the school.

When a district is petitioned to act on a charter school application, the school board is required to hold a comment period for the public.

Residents Gerry Hanley and Austin Murray both asked if board members had a complete understanding of the charter school application.

"I hope the board members did have time to look at it. If you didn't, shame on you," Hanley said.

He later added, "I just hope the board members did read it. I'd like to see them table this and sit down, all nine of you, with Dr. Stufft and Dr. (Doug) Hazlett (assistant superintendent and curriculum director) and discuss the booklet and what's in it."