A report by the Missouri State Teacher's Association concludes the state is far behind in teacher salaries.
The 2015-16 MSTA report shows Missouri is ranked 42nd nationwide, falling one rank from last year.
MSTA Executive Director Bruce Moe said in a press release the ranking translates to $8,896 less than the national average and, if multiplied over a 30-year career, it's a difference of $266,880.
"For yet another year, Missouri still lags behind when it comes to teachers' salaries," Moe said in the press release. "...I think we can do better."
Superintendent of Jefferson City Public Schools said based on how Missouri has ranked previously, he wasn't surprised.
"Missouri set a goal of being in the top 10 by 2020, but it costs money," Linthacum said, referring to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's goal to be in the top 10 states for education. "As we compare ourselves to other states, it shows we're in the bottom, but we want to be in the top fifth. That takes resources."
Blair Oaks Superintendent Jim Jones said he wasn't surprised one way or another, but didn't want to focus on the state ranking.
"I want our students to have the best teachers possible," Jones said. "I want us to be better tomorrow than we were today."
State law requires to pay teachers with a bachelor's degree a minimum of $25,000, and teachers with a master's degree and 10 years experience a minimum of $33,000.
The report details minimum and maximum salaries for teachers with bachelor's, master's and those with education higher than a master's for all 518 districts in Missouri.
The rankings are based on 77 districts in the Central region of Missouri and there are duplicate rankings if districts have the same salary.
Jefferson City Public Schools - with 8,786 students - was among the top three ranking districts in the central region for teacher salaries in all three categories.
The minimum salary a teacher with a bachelor's degree can receive is $35,500. The ladder steps up to $39,770 as the minimum salary for teachers with a master's degree, and the maximum salary for those with an education beyond a master's is $68,826.
Ten years ago, JCPS had fairly similar rankings - it's maintained the third highest ranking for bachelor's degrees and master's degrees.
The district is ranked second for teacher salaries with an education beyond a master's - three ranks higher than it was in 2004-05.
"We want to attract great folks and get the right people on the bus," Linthacum said. "It's not just on salary, but it's an important part of that."
Linthacum said the district is in the top three for teacher salaries, but in the bottom of the state for district levies. He said that's part of being a good steward of taxpayer money, but in a perfect world the two numbers would match.
"Overall, I'm glad, and we're competitive," Linthacum said. "It's one part of the puzzle of attracting great folks and focusing on the culture and climate to ensure kids are learning."
Of the 700 teachers at JCPS, the average education level is 12.4 years and the 61.2 percent of the teachers have master's degrees or higher, according to district data on the DESE website.
The Missouri average of years of experience is 12.2 years and the average number of teachers with master's degrees or higher is 58.9 percent.
Compared to other districts in the region, Blair Oaks School District - with 1,149 students - was in the top 10 for teachers with a bachelor's degree, the top five for teachers with a master's degree and top 30 for teachers with a degree beyond a master's degree.
The minimum salary a teacher with a bachelor's degree can receive is $34,000. The minimum salary for a teacher with a master's degree bumps up to $37,100 and the maximum for someone with more than a master's degree is $52,950.
The district ranked eighth for bachelor's degree salaries, fifth for master's degree and 28th for those with more than a master's.
Compared to 10 years ago, Blair Oaks has made significant leaps in regional rankings for teacher salaries, Jones said.
In 2004-05, the district was 25th for bachelor's degree salaries and master's degree salaries and 33rd for those with an education beyond a master's.
"We feel we've made tremendous improvements (with teacher salaries)," Superintendent Jim Jones said.
"Our goal is to recruit and retain quality teachers," he said. "The salary schedule is one way to do that. We do our best to try and be as competitive as possible, but we still have to live within our means."
Of the 82 teachers, the average education level is 13.8 years and the number of teachers with master's degrees or higher is 52.5 percent.