Benton Harbor unhappy with Whitmer plan to close high school

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Benton Harbor school board is firing back at a state proposal to close the high school or face a complete shutdown of the district.

School board members are inviting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to a public meeting on June 4 to hear what they call the "full story."

The Whitmer administration last week proposed to close Benton Harbor High School in fall 2020 and send students to other schools in the Berrien County area. The state says it would work to improve K-8 education at the same time. The state says district finances and academic performance are poor.

But the school board says the Whitmer administration's plan is a land grab and a "transfer of wealth" from a black community to white communities. Michigan schools get a per-student allowance from Lansing.