Florida teachers don’t get paid well, said former congresswoman Pat Schroeder. Some even qualify for food stamps.
A woman who once ran for president and spent 24 years as a U.S. representative for Colorado, Schroeder spoke to about 200 people on Monday at the Buddy & Anne MacKay Auditorium.
She said the federal government does not contribute enough money to education — it spends 6 percent of its money on education in each state.
“This is critical in our society,” she said.
Schroeder, a Democrat, spent 24 years as a U.S. representative, according to Politico. She considered running for president in 1987, but withdrew from the campaign because of a lack of funds and returned to the House of Representatives for another decade, according to a biography by Joan A. Lowy.
When asked how she would handle Florida’s educational programs if she were president, she said she would create more high-tech jobs.
Despite politics being a mess, Schroeder said young adults can make a change.
“Young adults have to pay attention to local, state and federal elections,” her husband James said. If there is an issue in their community, he encouraged them to act and call their state representatives instead of doing nothing.
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 9/17/2013 under the headline "Former congresswoman speaks about budget"
Former U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder speaks to about 200 people at the Buddy & Anne MacKay Auditorium on Monday evening.
