WBFO News recently sat down with Western New York Congressman Brian Higgins before he heads back to Washington under the new Trump administration. We asked Higgins about his concerns for the future of education, especially for children living in poverty that attend Buffalo Public Schools.
“I think when you look at the educational issue, people have been talking about education reform for a hundred years. And we’re still talking about it with no real definitive solution to it,” Higgins said. “So obviously, having spent all that time, indicates that maybe we’re looking in the wrong places.”
Census numbers continue to show more than half of Buffalo children living in poverty. Many of those children live in the inner-city, attending Buffalo Public Schools. Higgins says much of the problem comes from the lack of support in their home lives.
“You know kids are coming from and going to in many cases what are in direct conflict with the loving, nurturing environment that a kid has in a classroom. I believe the teaching profession is the profession that makes all other professions possible. And they’re
The long-time democratic lawmaker suggests a different approach to education is needed.
“We have to take a different approach to education. It’s got to be more holistic. I think life skills need to be learned—financial literacy."