(Getty Images/Spaces Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- In the Democratic race for the 7th Congressional District, Congressman Mike Capuano faces a challenge from Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley--and primary day is just four weeks from today.
Both candidates reacted this week to a report first published in the Boston Globe showing that Boston schools are more segregated than they were before busing in the 1970s. The report found that almost 60 percent of the city's schools meet the definition of being "intensely segregated."
Councilor Pressley tells WBZ NewsRadio 1030 that the solution isn't just about dollars and cents. She said economic inequality and lending patterns have helped to contribute to racial divisions in Boston.
"These racial segregated patterns that were born out of discrimination, it requires leadership, it requires mandates, and it requires policy intervention," she said. "The answer is for us to reset and to realign and to agree what every child deserves and needs to be successful."
Congressman Capuano said every single child deserves a fantastic education and an opportunity to get one. He called the report troubling, but said he believes the problems of society have many causes, and that he's more concerned with finding solutions.
"I really think the Boston City Council will do well, and I'm looking forward to working with them to find solutions to the problem," he said. "I look forward to working with them in any capacity they want to keep trying to reach that legitimate level playing field for every child."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker (@radiobenparker) reports