BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PROGRAMS:

Actually I started in on the baseball program before I got on the school board, so chalk this one up to my "letter-to-the-editor writing ability."

My son was in the baseball program, and I was aware that the varsity baseball coach had to also coach football in the fall semester. 

Since I considered baseball as at least equivalent to the football program and certainly more useful to a great many more students if it were designed properly, I started harping on the fact that the varsity baseball coach should be coaching baseball in the fall, not football.

Katy ISD has never really liked anyone criticizing it or its programs, and so it wasn't long before the varsity baseball coach was relieved of his football coaching duties, got a period for baseball during the school day, and had more money designated for the program and the field and equipment that they used.

Not a bad achievement for just writing letters of criticism!

No baseball coach ever said "Thank you, Mary!"  But that's OK.

I didn't write those letters for the thanks.

After I got on the school board, I started lobbying for decent softball stadiums at all the high schools.  That was an uphill battle until I realized how effective it was to say "Title IX!"

That got it done. (They hated that.)

More recently I harped on the Nextdoor social web site about the falling down outfield fence at Taylor High School.  Turned out there was one at Katy High School as well.  (People are starting to notice the deteriorating condition of facilities at KISD's older schools, so that helped as well. Seems the District doesn't like to spend money on maintenance.)

Guess what "repair" item there was this month (November 2017) on the KISD Work Study board agenda?  You guessed it.  New outfield fence! (Funny how they'd left it out of the bond referendum items until I pointed it out.)