Cody Holt: Candidate Profile
Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ElginWebsite: www.codyholt.comOffice sought: Candidate did not respond.Age: 23Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Financial ServicesEducation: Product of U-46, graduating from Larkin High School in 2010. Some college experience at Elgin Community College.Civic involvement: 2014 STEM Science Fair JudgeElected offices held: NoneQuestions Answers What is your position on standards-based grading, which has been controversial with parents, students and even some teachers? Did the district botch the implementation of this new system? What could it have done differently?I support a grading system that is mathematically correct and fair to all students. This is the reason I have been critical of standards-based grading. I understand that the traditional grading scale had its flaws. Mainly around how teachers could provide extra credit for things that had nothing to do with the class. But the traditional 0-100% grading scale made mathematical sense. I believe we need to look into what we could do to improve the traditional grading scale. I have spent the time to listen to many parents, teachers and, most importantly, students. Students have told me that standards-based grading have brought the students from the bottom up and students at the top down. Parents have been concerned that standards-based grading could negatively impact their child's college applications. Teachers have complained about the time they have had to take away from their cirriculum to attend training sessions on this new grading scale. What I am very concerned about was the fact that this current board did not vote on whether or not to implement standards-based grading. I publicly called for a vote, so that our elected officials could hold themselves accountable to the stakeholders of this district. If elected I will immediately call for a vote on this controversial grading scale.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?I have never been employed by any school district and neither has any member of my direct family.Would you support holding the line on tax increases since the district has emerged from deficit spending and has a healthy surplus of roughly $50 million? Explain why or why not.Absolutely! I have been a very passionate tax payer advocate. I have spoken out by opposing the previous two unfair budgets and the correlating tax levy increases that followed. During this campaign you will hear from incumbents and like minded candidates who will place the tax burden blame on state legislature or an error from the Kane County Clerks Office. This is categorically false. Despite the error in Kane County, property tax payers in Dupage would have still seen a substantial tax increase. We must remember that the U-46 Board alone controls whether or not to raise taxes by voting on the tax levy. I will not vote to increase property taxes, because the hard working taxpayers of our district deserve a break.Would you support a charter school within U-46? Why or why not?I would support any means to give parents more control over their children's education. I believe charter schools can lead to a healthy competition with traditional public schools. As we know, competition leads to innovation. I strongly support giving all students an equal opportunity to have a quality education. Since our school district is looking into attendance boundary changes I think we should keep all options on the table. This includes looking into the option of charter schools. Specifically I would like to see a K-6 charter school in our district. I was very proud to support the Elgin Math and Science Academy and their proposal for a charter school. I would be willing to reexamine their proposal and any proposal to give our families more options.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Be specific.One of the many things I have been very passionate about is where and how our money is being spent. Every dollar spent must provide a measurable return on investment. I believe that it does not matter how much you spend, its how you spend it. As your school board member, I will be an advocate for having our district live within its financial means. When creating the budget the school district should not feel entitled to future taxpayer dollars. I would be supportive of a budget that does not increase taxes. One which makes sure the money is being devoted to the classroom rather than bricks and mortar or administration. Two years ago I proposed eliminating 11 administrators whose positions are redundant. This could have saved the district $1.2 million dollars. I have also supported ending the stipends that the district offers with certain district programs. I have not been supportive of the previous two budgets because they have increased the size of the administration, took money out of the classroom and eventually led to tax increases.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am a huge believer in transparency. If elected I will hold town hall meetings to give my constituents the opportunity to talk with me without a three minute timer. I will reach out to parents, teachers, students, and taxpayers across all three counties and eleven communities. I was instrumental in having U-46 board meetings recorded for members of the public. Long before board members proposed recording meetings, I would record them on my iPhone and place them on Youtube. Finally, one board member recognized me recording these meetings and saw that the public was interested in watching board proceedings. Another achievement I would like to do by the end of my first term in office would be to improve the 52% transparency rating that was given to us by the Illinois Policy Institute. By making our district 100% transparent and properly engaging our constituents we can truly start to improve the public perception of U-46.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University. This man exemplifies leadership, resolve and shows what you can achieve by working together as a team.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?One of the biggest lessons I learned growing up was that to achieve your aspirations, you have to work hard to earn it.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have continued playing baseball.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was U.S. History. Knowing the problems of the past help us understand how to answer the questions of the future.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.