Whispering Palms asking businesses for financial assistance

One of the oldest private schools on island is pleading to the business community for financial assistance this school year.

Whispering Palms School board member Kuen-Hee Han and parent Lisa McWilliams have taken it upon themselves to get the word out to keep the school functioning.

“This school is different. All teachers have a master’s degree or equivalent and our philosophy is to raise kids who are responsible for their community. We invite [interested donors] to check out the school,” Han says.

The school currently serves students from kindergarten to 8th grade.

McWilliams, a parent of three children, with two children enrolled at Whispering Palms says the school was her top choice after moving from Northern Ireland to the island.

“The school relies 100 percent on tuition fees, fundraising, and education tax credits,” she said.

McWilliams added that the school relies on businesses for aid, and noted that tax credits are the best way to ensure school funding.

“Everyone who owns a business on Saipan can donate $419 per month or $5,000 per year,” she says, since ETC allows businesses a way to give back to education institutions of their choice and apply it against the tax liability of a business for the tax year.

According to principal Jennifer Slack, “the CNMI has a unique law that allows businesses to donate up to $5,000 of their BGRT tax to the school of their choosing. Public Law 10-73, known as the Education Tax Credit Law, has been in effect in the CNMI since 1997. This progressive law allows for a direct and affordable way to donate to the educational institutions of the CNMI.  When a business makes an ETC donation in place of their tax, the business receives a tax credit for their contribution. This means that any amount you contribute to the school counts as if you had paid that amount towards your taxes. Our school depends on these funds to provide students with a high quality learning environment,” she said

The school notes that they were not eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance after Typhoon Soudelor but is looking to make repairs to their school environment.

Whispering Palms is a private, non-profit located on Navy Hill.  With a small student-to-teacher ratio they strive to offer the highest quality educational experience. For more information on how you can help, call Slack at 323-7451 or email whisperingpalmsofsaipan@gmail.com.