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Benton Harbor Gets More Time To Avoid School Shutdown, Mayor Threatens To Cancel PGA If School Closes

BENTON HARBOR (CBS DETROIT) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is giving the Benton Harbor school board a little more time to develop a plan to keep the district's high school open.

Whitmer 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 Governor's 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.

Whitmer pushed back the deadline to vote until next week Friday, June 14.

Protests Planned

Benton Harbor High School is the only high school in the district.  If Whitmer's plan gets approved it involves sending Benton Harbor students to surrounding districts in Berrien county. The State Treasurer says if the plan is approved, more than $10 million of the $16 million debt would go away.

The board has accused state officials of wanting to take money out of Benton Harbor to benefit nearby white communities. Mayor Marcus Muhammad says a protest is planned Tuesday in Lansing. He says on Facebook that he's David "looking for Goliath."

On Thursday, Mayor Muhammad took to Facebook threatening to cancel the 'Kitchen Aid Senior PGA' if the state closes the school.

The PGA event is slated to be held at Harbor Shores next May.

© 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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