On Wednesday, May 5, The state Board of Education appointed Carmella S. Franco, former superintendent of schools in the Southern California city of Whittier to serve as state trustee of the troubled Alisal Union Elementary School District, and named Norma Martinez, who served as superintendent of San Jose's Alum Rock School District,  trustee in Greenfield.

Both women have more than 35 years of education experience from the classroom to the principal's office to superintendent's posts.

The Board voted to give Franco full authority to administer the Alisal district.  The local school board will be stripped of power; its members will serve only as Franco's advisers, and will be accountable to her.  The board will not receive any benefits or compensation during the term of the trusteeship, which will last no less than three years, and will be lifted when the district meets its academic performance standards for two years and when the state Board of Education believes the district can run its own affairs.

The Greenfield school board will maintain its authority, although Martinez will have veto power, or so-called stay and rescind authority, over its decisions.

State officials report that Franco and Martinez will negotiate their salaries and start dates in the coming days.

The takeovers are the first-ever in California for poor academic performance. Both districts are among the lowest achieving in the state, according to education officials.

For more on this story, see the Weekly's May 6 print edition.