Cincinnati's Board of Education will focus on raising student achievement and improving school buildings in the next year, board members said Thursday.

        The board met to choose officers and voted to keep Rick Williams as president. Lynn Marmer will be vice president.

        Mr. Williams won the presidency in a 4-3 vote, with John Gilligan, Mrs. Marmer, Sally Warner and Mr. Williams voting yes and Catherine Ingram, Florence Newell and Harriet Russell voting no.

        Mrs. Marmer, who declined a nomination by Ms. Newell to be president, will succeed Ms. Russell as vice president. She won the seat in a 4-3 vote, with Ms. Ingram, Ms. Newell and Ms. Russell voting against her.

        In the coming year the board says its goals are: figure out how to restructure high schools, update and upgrade schools and continue education reforms started last year, such as the district's early literacy programs.

        “This year will be an opportunity to tweak some things we already have in place,” said Mr. Williams, who is a management consultant with Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp. “Because of all we accomplished last year we are in a position now to see some big changes this year.”

        Ms. Marmer, a Kroger Co. executive, previously was elected vice president three times and she served as president in 1997.

        She said the board needs to focus on keeping promises it made during November's campaign for new operating tax revenues.

        “I want to see us continue our early literacy efforts, make sure each neighborhood school has an academic focus and provide meaningful professional development for teachers,” Mrs. Marmer said.

        Ms. Russell said members must always ask if what they are doing is in students' best interest: “We are not elected to disintegrate into a squabbling arena of adults.”

        Ms. Ingram said she wants the board to put more effort into working together.

        “I want to be sure that we talk about the board as an entity, not just one individual and that person's relationship with the administration,” she said. “It's important that we don't just seem cohesive, but that we are cohesive.”

        Mr. Gilligan emphasized his interest in creating K-12 “community-centered schools” that create partnerships among the school, residents and social service agencies. Such a school is planned for the East End.

        Mrs. Warner wants the board to look at new ways to do business. That could mean new board committees or getting rid of committees altogether.

        The board will meet in regular session at 7 p.m. Monday.

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