As the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School gears up for its second year, 1,100 students are already enrolled, 400 more are scheduled for interviews and still 300 more are waiting for their interviews to be scheduled.

That's a major increase in enrollment from the roughly 500 students the unexpectedly successful Internet-based school served last year.

But for Eugene and Jeanne Cannon of Hazelton in eastern Pennsylvania it's too many.

The Cannons traveled Tuesday to the offices of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit in the Strip District to register their granddaughter for the new PA LEARNERS Online Regional Cyber Charter School. Celena Cannon, 17, will be starting 11th grade in the fall and is currently among about 40 students in kindergarten through 12th grade signed up for the new school.

An acronym for "Learners Everywhere Accessing Resources, Networking Electronically and Realizing Success," the debuting schools will be managed by the AIU and chartered by 10 Allegheny County school districts - Allegheny Valley, Baldwin-Whitehall, Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Moon Area, Shaler Area, South Allegheny, West Allegheny and Woodland Hills.

Like the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, students from anywhere in the state can enroll in PA LEARNERS.

Seeing the number of students waiting to enroll in the Midland-based cyber charter school, Eugene Cannon said he worried Celena couldn't be enrolled in time for the coming year. Despite the tense moments, the Cannons were drawn to the cyber charter school.

"Cyber schools are going to factor heavily in education in the future," Cannon said, adding that he read about cyber schools in a newspaper and learn more online. "Technology is moving us along, whether we want to or not."

The number of cyber charter schools operating in the state has quadrupled, from just two in the 2000-01 school year to eight in 2001-02, according to the state Department of Education.

Although PA LEARNERS' enrollment has reached less than half its first-year target, officials said the school will launch on Sept. 4 regardless of class sizes.

Paula Calabrese, the AIU's assistant executive director for education, said she believes enrollment has been slowed by summer vacations and expects it to increase.

"We're very confident we'll get to our break-even number, which is 100 students," she said. "There's been unprecedented interest in terms of the number of phone calls, inquiries from parents and a number of e-mails from high school students expressing interest."

Although the enrollment deadline is Tuesday, Calabrese said students may enroll at any time.

"We think August is going to be a very busy month," she said.

The school recently selected its curriculum programs but has not yet hired staff. It plans to have one teacher for every 20 students, and each student will have an individualized learning program.

Officials estimated the school's initial budget for about 100 students at $480,000.

"There's a lot to think about and a lot to get done," said Paul Kasunich, the school's principal and formerly a teacher for three years in the Shaler Area School District. "We're diligently working through all those issues. We'll be ready when the time comes."

Kasunich, 41, who worked in marketing before changing careers and becoming a teacher, is already on the job even though he technically doesn't start until Wednesday.

"This whole idea of starting on the ground floor is pretty intriguing and pretty exciting," he said. "I certainly wouldn't be here if I didn't think long term this was a viable option in education."

Calabrese said the AIU based its cyber school on the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which is chartered by the Midland School District in Beaver County served last year.

"We've taken the best they have developed and enhanced it," Calabrese said.

Nick Trombetta, superintendent of the Midland School District and chief administrative officer of the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, said he offered to partner with the AIU but was rejected.

"Their charter is a duplication of what we're doing," he said. "I'm concerned about the fact we have a duplication of effort. I think it wastes money, especially when we're so close."

Citing his enrollment, Trombetta said he's not too worried about competition. He said 92 percent of the students who could enroll for a second year did.

Contrary to the Cannons' concern, he expects all students currently interested in the school to be accepted. Enrollment would reach close to 2,000.

"We have a huge infrastructure," Trombetta said. "We have an extensive amount of talent and staff here. We can handle these numbers.

"We know what to do now. We made the mistakes the first year. We've survived the learning curve. A lot has to be said for experience."

But even though she has only a fraction of Trombetta's enrollment, Calabrese isn't worried about competition, either.

"There's plenty of business out there for everybody," Calabrese said. "There's plenty of students to be served."

Among them is Jim Platania, 16, of Scott Township in the Chartiers Valley School District. His mother, Susan, said while he will still go to the brick-and-mortar school for physical education and electives, she enrolled her son in the cyber school so he could work at his own pace and possibly graduate early.

"I think he's kind of bored with the usual routine of schoolwork. He doesn't need the repetition. For his way of learning, this might be better for him," she said. "I think it's a pretty good opportunity for some kids. It's not for everybody."

Tony and Georgia Taylor of Wilkins Township in the Woodland Hills School District have homeschooled their six children for religious reasons. They have enrolled their three school-age children - Noah, 11, Grace, 13, and Joy, 14 - in PA LEARNERS.

Georgia Taylor said they chose to enroll in the new cyber school because it would relieve the cost burden they face homeschooling and will give them access to curriculum materials only schools can get.

"My kids are very computer oriented. They love it," she said. "It's going to be a very positive influence on them getting up and getting their work done. This is going to help the kids want to learn."

Celena Cannon is looking forward to being a student in the cyber school.

"I think it sounds like a really good idea," said Celena, who was homeschooled the past two years and attended a Christian school prior to that. "I like the idea of having it over the Internet. Flexibility is a big thing."

For the Cannons, getting in on the ground floor is appealing to them.

"We're new at it and so are you," Jeanne Cannon said while meeting with AIU staff. "We'll be learning from each other's mistakes."