How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers

Texans are paying more in property taxes, but where is the promised tax relief? In this episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, Mandy sits down with Judge Shepard to expose how the Texas school bond process has been hijacked by an education cartel that profits from billions in taxpayer-funded debt. Based on Judge Shepard's groundbreaking research paper this conversation uncovers the network of architects, engineering firms, consultants, lobbyists, and political action committees driving massive school bond elections across Texas.Learn how a handful of firms make small donations to school bond PACs, then receive millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded contracts after bonds pass. The discussion also examines why property tax relief from the Texas Legislature often fails to reach homeowners, how school district debt has ballooned to $236 billion, and what reforms could restore transparency and accountability.In this video:How Texas school bond elections really workThe "education cartel" and its financial incentivesWhy property taxes continue to rise despite legislative tax reliefHow bond PACs influence local electionsThe role of architects, engineering firms, consultants, and taxpayer-funded lobbyistsWhy May bond elections have low voter turnoutProposed reforms to protect Texas taxpayersThe controversy surrounding Barbers Hill ISD's Education FoundationRecommendations to increase transparency and stop conflicts of interestIf you care about Texas property taxes, school finance, government transparency, education reform, taxpayer rights, or local government accountability, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.