By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Teachers' salaries in Missouri rank 43rd in the nation.
The teachers' union American Federation of Teachers surveyed salaries for the 2002-2003 school year.
It found the national average was almost $45,771 a year. Teachers in Missouri average just over $37,641.
By comparison, the state's average median household income in 2002 was just under $44,000.
Education groups say the survey shows that Missouri needs to spend more money on teacher pay if it wants to keep good people from leaving the profession or going elsewhere.