CA AB2491

Establishes a 5-year pilot program requiring the State Department of Education to provide funding to specified school districts to use only organic pesticides indoors and outdoors.

Funding covers the cost difference between organic and chemical pesticides plus soil testing costs for participating districts.

Eleven school districts are eligible to apply, including Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento City Unified School Districts.

Participating districts must conduct soil testing before the program begins and again at the end of the 5-year period to measure reductions in chemical pesticide presence in soil.

Districts must submit reports to the department and Legislature at the beginning and end of the pilot program documenting costs, soil test results, and effectiveness of organic pesticides compared to chemical pesticides.