The two women who now hold the reins of power in the Alisal and Greenfield school districts will take home far larger paychecks than most school chiefs nationwide, whose average annual pay is $155,634, according to a 2008-09 superintendent salary study by the Educational Research Service.

State appointed trustee Carmella Franco also earns nearly $100,000 more on average than school superintendents of school districts of similar size, and more than $50,000 more than her counterparts on the west coast by the ERS study's numbers. Her annual salary is $224,000, including a $24,000 allowance to cover housing, cell phone bills and utilities. In addition, she'll be reimbursed for job-related expenses.

Health and retirement benefits aren't part of the package, as Franco is considered an independent contractor.

Franco must deliver an assessment of the district's most pressing problems and how to address them by July 1, as well as a so-called corrective action plan for the district by November 30.

She'll have broad authority to do her job, as she now has all the legal rights and powers of both the school board and the superintendent.

Still, she must notify the State Department of Education before taking any of the following actions:

•Hiring or firing superintendents

•Approving union contracts

•Providing budgets or legally required reports

•Hiring consultants or subcontractors for more than $50,000 per year

Franco's contract is in effect until May 2013, but it can be terminated without cause with two month's notice. The state will evaluate her performance by July 31,  2011.

Greenfield trustee Norma  Martinez earns less than Franco at a little more than $200,000 annually, including her housing and cell phone allowance.

Martinez' authority is not as broad as Franco's. She has so-called stay and rescind authority over school board decisions, meaning she can overrule the board.