Five of six Ottawa alternative schools will continue to offer their special program next year despite a staff recommendation to end it.

Only Manor Park Public School will stop running the alternative program by September 2011, the school board decided at a meeting Tuesday night.

The board also voted to boost the use of alternative school principles — such as multi-grade classrooms, a focus on parental involvement and an emphasis on cooperation rather than competition — in its regular elementary schools.

A staff report had concluded the alternative program, which currently serves 1200 students at six Ottawa elementary schools, was not substantially different from the regular English program, and recommended that the elementary schools stop offering it.

Personal letters

But board trustee Pam Fitzgerald said the personal letters she's been receiving about the issue moved her.

"What I found is in reading back the letters, thinking about it...our alternative schools are, in fact, our ultimate inclusionary schools," she said.

John Shea, another board trustee, said he still hopes the board will be able to start phasing out the program later on, once further studies about how to accommodate all the students are complete. He said he believes the alternative program may be using up funds that would be better spent on regular public schools.

In the meantime, parents of students enrolled in alternative schools expressed relief at the board's decision.

"It's very positive and I'm very pleased...that the trustees have seen that there's real value to the alternative program," said Tanis Stoliar. "They can see that there could be a benefit to the principals of the program for other students and families within the Ottawa Carleton District School Board."

The school board also voted Tuesday to include alternative schools in future reviews of school boundaries. That means the program could be sent to another school if a school offering an alternative program closes.