Nahant superintendent discusses aid options with Northeastern

NAHANT – Superintendent Phil Devaux reported that he met with Northeastern University representatives this week to discuss options for aiding the Johnson School.In a meeting with John Tobin, Northeastern’s vice president of City and Community Affairs, Devaux said he and Principal Diane Mulcahy made a list of “realistic things” that the university could do for the elementary school, a conversation that Devaux called “interesting and productive.”Devaux said many of the wish-list items won’t be immediate, and warned that the university’s involvement is at a stage of no official commitment. The representatives will need at least two and a half to three weeks to find out from the university’s administration what they can and cannot do to aid Nahant’s elementary school. “I don’t want to raise false hopes,” said Devaux. “This is in the beginning stages.”Short of providing cash, Devaux said he and Mulcahy identified ways the university could affect the elementary school students both directly with programs and indirectly with professional development for teachers.Options for the students included funding the after school program and helping convert a classroom into a science lab over the summer.With no room in the budget for professional development Devaux suggested that Northeastern could provide training with courses or workshops, or consulting for teacher evaluation like they do in Boston.Other options suggested are tech consultants to complement the $50,000 of new computers up for a vote at Town Meeting, and an English as a Second Language consultant to work with some of the school’s Chinese students. Devaux said this position would be perfect for a Northeastern graduate intern looking for field hours, said Devaux.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].