RELATING TO TEACHERS.

Amends the definition of teacher to mean those who spend not less than 70% of their formal employment time in the direct classroom instruction of students. Enhances teacher hiring certainty by requiring schools to finalize teacher hiring before the end of the fiscal year. Lowers teacher-student ratios.

RELATING TO TEACHERS.

Establishes a master teachers training and certification program for teachers who desire to increase the quality of their teaching skills and serve as a resource to other teachers. Establishes a master teachers job series and salary ranges, grades, and schedules for the series; appropriates funds.

RELATING TO TEACHER COMPENSATION.

Requires teachers to receive their normal annual increment or longevity increase, as the case may be, for a year's satisfactory service in any fiscal year that an increase in the appropriate salary schedule is effected, except as provided by law.

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER TAX CREDIT.

Provides a tax credit to public school teachers of $500 for teachers with less than five years of experience and $250 for teachers with five or more years of experience.

RELATING TO TEACHERS.

Provides a tax credit for landlords who provide housing for teachers employed in hard-to-staff public schools.

RELATING TO TEACHERS.

Provides a tax credit for developers who lease state-owned lands to build housing for lease or rental to teachers employed in hard-to-staff public schools.

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Requires that additional part-time teachers and/or aides be added when the 1-to-26 ratio is exceeded in grades three to five in department of education schools.

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Provides one permanent half-time teacher's aide for each department of education third grade classroom.

RELATING TO TEACHER'S AIDES.

Appropriates funding to establish a teacher's aide pilot program on Kauai.

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Allocates four additional teacher positions to Kapaa Elementary School for the purpose of maintaining the their schools within a school concept for fiscal year 2004-2005.