The 76-year tradition fills Memorial Chapel with music, candlelight, and joy from Dec. 6-8. This year features the debut of a student composition and an ASL interpreter, enhancing the beloved celebration of the nativity story.
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Valerie Taber is a candidate for the Redlands Unified School District Board of Education Area 5.
Taber was born and raised in Redlands where she attended local public schools before earning a BA in Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Redlands.
Taber works as a licensed therapist.
She is a member of the Kingsbury PTA, the district-wide Special Education PTA (SEPTA), and served as Vice President of the Kingsbury School Site Council for the 2023-2024 year.
Taber is a mother and the daughter of educators. She regularly attends School Board meetings to speak about making schools more inclusive, and supportive of all students, especially those who are neurodiverse, LGBTQ+, or facing challenges like homelessness and food insecurity.
Taber is running against Candy Olson and Carolyn Williams in Trustee Area 5. Click the map below for a detailed view of districts.
Taber's campaign for the RUSD School Board has raised $31,140
For this section, Community Forward Redlands asked each candidate the same five questions. These are their responses. Candidates were asked to keep their responses around 100 words. Responses were edited only for grammar or spelling errors. We also made candidates aware that we will make note of any statement that includes factual inaccuracies or conjecture.
My vision for moving our community and schools forward is to consistently look to the future, which means not repeating past mistakes regarding censorship and book banning.
I was born and raised here in Redlands, and honestly, my favorite thing about Redlands is our trees and the sweet smell of orange blossoms – that has been a favorite memory of mine since childhood. I still remember writing a report on the history of our Redlands trees in the ninth grade at Redlands High School and learning how connected our community is to the history of the groves.
I see it as an advocacy role: my job would not be to decide for others, but to give a balanced voice to my whole community about their concerns and needs from my seat on the board.
My first priority is safe and thriving students -- ensuring the needs of all learners are met, and all students are valued. This looks like protecting our most vulnerable students (foster youth, homeless youth, LGBTQ youth); expanding student mental health support and early intervention efforts; and strengthening district work to keep our campuses safe from the threat of gun violence.
My second priority is accountable district leadership. Our district must hold students and staff accountable for Title IX violations and provide adequate support for our students who have been harassed on our campuses. Allegations will no longer be swept under the rug.
My third priority is getting and keeping our families and communities engaged in our schools. Family and community involvement is vital to our students’ success, and that means making meetings and events accessible to all, as well as clearer communication and transparency around district decisions and actions.
I am a member of the Kingsbury PTA and the districtwide Special Education PTA (SEPTA), and served on the Kingsbury School Site Council as vice president for the 2023-24 year.
In addition to being a product of our local public K-12 schools and having a student in our district, I come from a family of educators and have an extensive history working with youth and families in our community. I worked for years in childcare at our local Redlands YMCA and as a therapist I spent more than half a decade specializing in working with youth and their families. These experiences give me a unique and fresh perspective to bring to the board in terms of advocacy for our students, families, and educators/staff.
My vision for moving our community and schools forward is to consistently look to the future, which means not repeating past mistakes regarding censorship and book banning. Our schools are meant to prepare our students for a variety of career pathways and guide them to be informed and caring community members. I look forward to creating lasting partnerships within the community that represent all possible pathways, including local trades, businesses and universities, as well as the creation of a dual language immersion program, for which there is high interest in the community.
Moving our community forward also means seeing where we are, and meeting the needs that are evident there. I fully support working toward a community school model to support our students’ well-being, and I will work to expand our district’s inclusion efforts for our special education students.
Website: Valerie Taber 4 Redlands USD
Social media: Instagram | Facebook
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