OKLAHOMA CITY — The proposed Ben Gamla Jewish charter school’s effort to move toward opening in Oklahoma stalled Monday after a 4-3 vote by the Statewide Charter School Board failed to reach the five-vote threshold required for approval. One board member was absent, and another seat is vacant. Board representative Brian Shellem said the motion did not carry because it lacked five votes. Board attorney A.J. Ferate said the board currently does not meet that threshold for the decision. The vote followed a federal judge’s preliminary injunction last month that allowed the application to proceed toward a contracting period while litigation continues. That step would not have meant the school could open immediately: the board’s legal team said Ben Gamla would still need to meet Oklahoma’s detailed requirements for operating a charter school. The application has faced scrutiny over whether a public charter school can be tied to a particular faith. The board had previously rejected it, citing the requirement that charter schools be nonsectarian. If approved, Ben Gamla would be the first religion-based charter school in the nation, according to the school’s backers. “We’re obviously disappointed,” said Brett Farley, a Ben Gamla board member. He called the vote a setback, not the end, and said the school would discuss possible next steps, including an appeal, with its attorneys. Shellem said Ben Gamla may submit another application. The board’s legal team said it was too early to say when members might vote on the matter again. The school had hoped to open as early as August 2027. It remains unclear whether Monday’s vote will affect that target.