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Benton Harbor district releases plan to avoid school shutdown

Posted at 8:20 AM, Jun 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-11 08:20:27-04

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A southwestern Michigan school board has released a plan aimed at keeping the district’s high school open and avoiding a state-threatened shutdown of the struggling district.

The Benton Harbor School Board said Monday night it wants to collaborate with the governor’s office and state and federal officials to improve student performance.

The administration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, citing the district’s poor finances and weak academic performance, has said it wants the board to close the high school . If not, the district could be shut down.

Meanwhile, the resignation of the district’s Superintendent Robert Herrera was accepted Monday in a move giving the school board more power.

The board has accused state officials of wanting to take money out of the “overwhelmingly poor and black community” of Benton Harbor.