LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has traveled to Benton Harbor for a second time to meet with school board members to discuss how to potentially avoid closing the city’s high schools.

The Detroit News reported Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Benton Harbor Area School board leaders met Tuesday afternoon to discuss future steps after the school board last week rejected her revised plan that would require the high schools to close in 2020 if the district didn’t meet certain academic and financial benchmarks such as improving students’ performance on the state-required tests.

Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown and board President Steve Mitchell said in a joint statement “the lines of communication are open among all parties and we look forward to future discussions to identify a solution that puts Benton Harbor students first.”