Getting school districts involved in IPM programs: Florida and Texas experiences

Florida and Texas illustrate two models for IPM implementation in public schools. Florida has a volunteer program for schools and relies on pilot programs and encouragement from FDACS and Cooperative Extension to encourage schools to adopt IPM for its benefits. Texas operates under state law that requires all public school districts to implement IPM. Year-round pest activity in both states make them good models to compare both incentive-based and penalty-based approaches to IPM adoption. Survey data and case studies will be used to illustrate the importance of a cooperative approach to IPM adoption, and to compare the relative effectiveness of the two models.