Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is giving a southwestern Michigan school board a little more time to develop a plan to keep the district's high school open. The Democrat said Wednesday after a public meeting in Benton Harbor that she'll look at a "viable alternative" if one is presented. The deadline had been Friday, but Whitmer says she's giving officials another week.
The Whitmer administration, citing the district's poor finances and weak academic performance, has said it wants the board to close the high school as part of a broader plan to improve local K-8 education. If not, the district could be shut down. The board has accused state officials of wanting to take money out of the "overwhelmingly poor and black community" of Benton Harbor to benefit nearby white communities.