The school board voted 5-3 to reject a proposal from Propel Charter Schools to open a charter school to serve district students.

In July, Propel officials announced that they hoped to open a school in the eastern suburbs, particularly serving Woodland Hills and Penn Hills.

Earlier this month the Penn Hills board said the state's 7-year-old charter school law did not consider the economic strain placed on districts with charter schools.

Consequently, they asked Propel to withdraw its proposal.

Later, the school board refused to vote on it.

While three Woodland Hills board members -- Cynthia Lowery, Fred Kuhn and Randy Lott -- voted for the proposal, they said they still opposed a charter school in the school district.

"There's not one of us that doesn't want to keep those kids in the district," declared Lowery.

"But there was nothing in the proposal that was not within the law."

After the meeting, Propel officials, who have already had to appeal rejections by McKeesport and Montour, said they had begun collecting signatures necessary to file an appeal.

The state Charter School Appeals Board overturned the McKeesport rejection and has not yet decided the Montour case. Propel also operates a school in Homestead.