The Gillingham Charter School is looking toward the 2012-13 school year.
At a work session Tuesday morning, the board discussed a place to hold gym classes and whether to continue to have cyber students.
Christie Werkheiser, director of organizational development, said that with Gillingham in need of a place for 20 gym classes a week, they would like to find an option close to the school.
Although no plans have been made, the school will look at renting a gym in the parish building of the former St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 321 Howard Ave., Pottsville.
"If this ends up being a no, we still have a plan," Werkheiser said.
If Gillingham cannot form an agreement with St. Patrick Church, Pottsville, which is in charge of the gym since the 2008 closing of St. Joseph, the school will still have use of the gym at the Simon Kramer Institute, New Philadelphia.
This year, Gillingham will also use the facilities at the Simon Kramer Institute so the school will be able to provide athletic programs participating in the Schuylkill League, although they still need to confirm if they will be able to use the field at Simon Kramer for their soccer team.
Werkheiser said they budgeted $15,000 for busing for the school year; therefore, if students don't need to travel to New Philadelphia, the school could use that money for athletic programs and curriculum.
In other business, the board discussed cutting cyber school for the next school year.
According to Werkheiser, Gillingham used a cyber school service to provide Internet teaching for two students who needed it. However, she said they did not receive the same relational education curriculum as the students in the charter school building.
"It worked for at least one of the students," she said. "It just doesn't feel like the fit we were looking for."
The board said that it will be at least two to three years until Gillingham will be able to create the type of cyber school program that fits its needs.
Werkheiser said when students can use Skype and be connected with the classrooms and able to join class discussions, then they will be able to provide a cyber extension of relational education.
Relational education is the teaching method that Gillingham uses, which is based on principles developed by Charlotte M. Mason, a British educator who lived from 1842 to 1923.
The Charlotte Mason method of teaching is centered around the idea that education is an atmosphere, a discipline and a life. She stressed using prose books containing full stories, or "whole books," to teach children rather than using textbooks.
"I think until we can get Skype in the classroom, it's not relational," said Lori Quinn, vice president of Gillingham's board of trustees and director of public relations and marketing.
The two cyber students also did not take part in any extra curricular activities, while they were still officially Gillingham students and were allowed to participate.
Werkheiser is going to recommend the board not offer cyber school education this year.