Membership

Everything we publish stays free; members do not get a different version of it. $8 a month gets you a sticker, a membership card, the members’ email list, access to special resources, and a place in something bigger. Funded by the people who read it, and by nobody else.

Join the movement. Spread the word. Change the world.

Support independent investigative advocacy. Your membership sustains something our kids, teachers, classrooms and parents desperately need — a voice.

Your membership funds the awareness, the accountability, and the work of calling out what is pulling dollars away from our classrooms. It keeps this platform, the information inside it, and the fight going, by funding investigative journalism, events and resources for teachers, and initiatives that help spread the word as well as support those behind this project.

We need your help to make this sustainable. Join the cause, spread the word, become a member. Your support helps spread this movement to more parents and teachers to impact more students, more classrooms and more districts around the state and ensure that the word is spread on the corruption surrounding your tax dollars with the ultimate goal of true transparency and accountability in our school systems.

Thank you. Your teachers, students, support staff and community are lucky to have people like you.

Tiers

Reader — Free, forever, and not a tier.

Everything on this site. Every document, every number, every piece. You owe us nothing and you never will.

• The whole site, with nothing held back
• The email list at /email-updates, on the subjects you pick
• Every record we publish, sourced so you can check it yourself
• The recordings of every workshop we run — how to read a school budget, how to file a records request, how to read a campaign-finance report. The recordings are free to everyone; the live seat is what a membership buys

Member — $8 a month, or $75 for the year.

• A sticker
• A membership card
• The members’ email list
• Access to special resources
• Being part of something bigger
• Your name on the supporter wall, if you want it there. Nothing appears without you ticking the box

VIP Member — $24 a month, or $250 for the year.

Everything a Member gets, plus VIP access.

• Everything in Member
• The VIP membership card
• The T-shirt, once they’re printed
• VIP access to special resources, our research, and the things we’re looking into next
• Free access to certain virtual workshops

Angel Supporter — A one-time contribution.

• A special Angel Supporter sticker
• The T-shirt, over $100
• A special engraved Angel Supporter gift, $500 and up

Teachers join for free

Billing terms. Member bills $8.00 monthly or $75.00 annually. VIP Member bills $24.00 monthly or $250.00 annually. All memberships renew automatically at the same price until you cancel. You can cancel any time at https://billing.stripe.com/p/login/00w9AV9gzgxbd8RbyFeEo00 or by emailing info@parentsfortransparency.com; cancellation takes effect at the end of the period you’ve already paid for. We refund any charge in full within 14 days if you ask. For annual memberships, we’ll email you 30 to 60 days before each renewal date so you can decide before it rolls over. Prices include Florida sales tax on merchandise where applicable.

About the merchandise. Stickers, membership cards, shirts, other merchandise and engravables ship within 4 to 6 weeks. If we can’t ship an item in the stated time, we’ll offer you the choice of waiting or a refund of that portion. The merchandise is a thank-you. It isn’t the thing you’re paying for.

Membership FAQs

What do I get for $8 a month?

A sticker, a membership card, the members’ email list, access to special resources, and being part of something bigger. Your name on the supporter wall if you want it there; nothing appears without you ticking the box.

When will my sticker, shirt or gift arrive?

Stickers, membership cards, shirts, other merchandise and engravables ship within 4 to 6 weeks. The merchandise is a thank-you. It isn’t the thing you’re paying for.

How do I cancel?

Any time at https://billing.stripe.com/p/login/00w9AV9gzgxbd8RbyFeEo00 or by emailing info@parentsfortransparency.com. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period you’ve already paid for. You do not have to email a person and you will not be asked why.

Can I get a refund?

We refund any charge in full within 14 days if you ask.

Is a membership tax-deductible?

No. Parents for Transparency is a for-profit company, not a 501(c)(3) charity. Membership payments are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions, and we do not issue donation receipts. A membership is a purchase, not a donation.

Are teachers really free?

Yes. Teachers join for free, on the honor system. Nothing is ever sent to your district email.

Can I give once instead of monthly?

Yes. Angel Supporter is a one-time contribution of $50, $100, $500 or $1,000, with a special Angel Supporter sticker, the T-shirt over $100, and a special engraved Angel Supporter gift at $500 and up.

Does a membership buy influence over what you publish?

No. Not coverage, not a veto, not a private conversation, not an endorsement. A membership has never moved a piece up, down, or off this site, and canceling one will not either.

Is this political money?

No. Membership payments are payments for a product. They are not campaign contributions, they are not reportable as campaign contributions, and no part of them reaches anyone on a ballot.

Will my information be sold or shared?

Never. Your name and address are never sold, never traded, and never handed to a candidate, a party, a committee, or the district. Read the full Privacy Policy at /privacy.

This site is funded by the people who read it, and by nobody else. No candidate, no party, no political committee, no district contract, no grant with a preference attached to it.

What am I funding?

A sustainable model for independent research and advocacy.

Parents for Transparency is a for-profit company. We’re telling you that up front, before you read another line, because it changes what your money is and what it isn’t.

Non-profits weren’t built to survive red tape, massive donations from powerful people, or boards that want things to go a certain way. PACs have their own limits. A for-profit entity run by ethical parents who are driven, intelligent and truly invested in making a difference? That’s how change happens.

We explored all sorts of structures. This is the one we landed on.

Corruption doesn’t know a structure. It knows a person. And we are advocates for life.

What that means for your money. Parents for Transparency is a for-profit company, not a 501(c)(3) charity. Membership payments are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions, and we do not issue donation receipts. A membership is a purchase, not a donation.

What a membership does not buy

• Coverage. Not favorable, not unfavorable, not more, not less, not sooner in exchange for anything.
• A veto. A membership has never moved a piece up, down, or off this site, and canceling one will not either.
• A private conversation. There is no tier that gets us alone in a room, and no tier that puts your question in front of the district. The workshop is a class, and everyone in it paid the same.
• An endorsement. This site endorses nobody, and a business listing has always been free and always will be — no membership changes that.
• The list. Your name and address are never sold, never traded, and never handed to a candidate, a party, a committee, or the district.

This is not political money

Parents for Transparency is not a candidate, campaign, political party, political committee, or electioneering communications organization, and is not registered as one. We do not expressly advocate the election or defeat of any candidate. No membership revenue — and no other revenue — is contributed to any candidate, party, or committee.

Membership payments are payments for a product. They are not campaign contributions, they are not reportable as campaign contributions, and no part of them reaches anyone on a ballot.

No district affiliation

Parents for Transparency is an independent private company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, employed by, or speaking for the School District of Lee County, the Lee County School Board, or any school. Nothing on this site is an official district communication.

Not legal advice

Our workshops, guides, and resources — including anything about IEPs, 504 plans, special education rights, public records requests, or campaign-finance reports — are general information for a general audience. They are not legal advice, they are not tailored to your child or your situation, and buying a membership or attending a workshop does not make anyone here your lawyer or create an attorney-client relationship. Nothing you tell us is privileged. For advice about your own matter, talk to a lawyer or advocate you have retained.

How to read what we publish

Reporting is sourced to public records, linked so you can check them yourself. Op-eds and analysis are opinion. Items we haven’t been able to confirm are marked unverified. If we get something wrong, write to info@parentsfortransparency.com — we’ll correct it and say that we did.

Parents for Transparency LLC is a Florida limited liability company. 11000 Metro Parkway, Suite 13, Fort Myers, FL 33966. Cancel any time at https://billing.stripe.com/p/login/00w9AV9gzgxbd8RbyFeEo00. Billing questions: info@parentsfortransparency.com. Payments are processed by Stripe; we never see or store your card number.