Union - Missouri teachers' pay lower than other states

The average salary of Missouri teachers ranks 43rd in the country, below all of Missouri's neighbors except Arkansas and Oklahoma, according to a survey by a teachers union.

In 2003, Missouri's teacher salaries ranked 35th, nine points higher than the current ranking.

The American Federation of Teachers found the national average salary for the 2002-2003 school year, the latest data available, was $45,771. In Missouri, the average salary was $37,641. By comparison, the average median household income in Missouri was $43,955 as of 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Locally, the average teacher salary hovers around the Missouri average. The average pay for Cape Girardeau teachers is $36,505; in Jackson, it's $38,783 and in Scott City teachers earn an average of $35,827.

Between 2001 and 2003, according to an earlier report, Cape Girardeau teachers' pay went up 11 percent due to a promise the district made to raise salaries to be comparable to other districts. During the same period, Jackson teachers' pay rose 3 percent, and in Scott City the raise was 5 percent.

Education groups said the survey shows Missouri needs to spend more money on teacher salaries to keep good people from leaving the profession or going to teach in another state with better benefits.

"We are asking them to do more and more from the state and federal level," Mike Wood, a lobbyist for the Missouri State Teachers Association, said Wednesday. "We are not properly rewarding them for the work which they do."

Staff writer Linda Redeffer contributed to this report.