AUBURN — When Russ Barlow became director of Franklin alternative school in the fall of 2011, he wanted to improve attendance and boost achievement.

“We have some of the greater truancy issues in the city,” Barlow said. “We made efforts to get more kids to come more days, which leads them to passing more classes.”

The school started “family meetings” on Monday mornings, allowing students — many of whom have troubled backgrounds — to talk with teachers about the weekends and solve problems. Students looked forward to Monday mornings, and more came to school. “We started feeding them breakfast;” they were hungry, Barlow said.

He jumped on calling home when students weren’t in school, calling at 8:15 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. The efforts are helping, he said.

In the first half of last year, students passed 69.9 percent of the classes they took, 240 out of 343. In the second half of the year, students passed 82.3 percent of classes, 234 out of 284. “I’m proud of that” Barlow said. “I call that a success story.”

Last spring, he watched his 16 students take the SAT. “The pencils were barely moving,” he said. He called the students into his office and asked why. He learned some had trouble reading. “I was a struggling reader,” he said. “I know what it’s all about.”

He asked teacher Jen Laliberty to build a reading program for high school students. Using iPads, students are improving and they like reading. Nathan Vining said he was one who struggled with reading; he has dyslexia.

The iPads make reading easier, allowing him to adjust the print size and brightness. “If you don’t know the word, you tap on it” and the definition appears, he said.

Vining demonstrated by reading aloud. School Committee members listened, with smiles. “Very nice, Nate,” Barlow said. “This is Franklin, students with various challenges. It’s imperative you meet the challenges.”

Another change this year is that more students are taking vocational courses. Last year only two Franklin students went to the Lewiston Regional Technical Center. Barlow said he promoted LRTC opportunities to students, and this fall 16 attended. Six dropped out of LRTC classes, but 10 remain. “I think they’re going to make it,” he said. “It’s working out well.” 

After researching job openings in Maine, Barlow said he discovered welding was among them and the pay can be $28 an hour. He built a program in which five students are studying first-year welding. Next year, they can take a second-year welding program at LRTC.

Student John Walko told the School Committee that this week he had his first day of welding, and he did well. “I killed it,” he said. He lives with his sister who works three jobs. “The least I can do is go to school, get good grades,” Walko said. “My goal is to stick to the program, go to LRTC and make a good future for myself.”

School Committee Chairman Tom Kendall praised Barlow for his “persistence and ingenuity.” Committee member Bonnie Hayes agreed, saying she sees positive changes.

In other business, the committee:

* Voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Bill Grant as director of adult education, a job he’ll start in January. Grant is now assistant director of adult education in Lewiston. “We’re very excited about him on our staff. He has lots of ideas,” Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

Hayes asked about having one adult ed program for Lewiston and Auburn. Grondin said if that happened, funding would be cut, and it wouldn’t make sense. But educators in both cities have met and are working to coordinate courses so the programs don’t duplicate each other. They’re also planning to publish one program guide listing courses in both cities, Grondin said.

* Learned that the recent iPad conference was a success, that people attended from all over, and that the School Department made $15,000 in profit. That money will be put back into the program to buy applications and headphones, Grondin said.

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