‘A great loss’: Beaufort County School Board chairman David Striebinger dies Sunday
This story has been updated.
David Striebinger, chairman of the Beaufort County School Board, died Sunday, the school district confirmed. He was 75.
Striebinger’s wife, Jill, posted on Facebook that he died suddenly Sunday morning. She declined to comment Tuesday morning.
Striebinger represented District 2 — Beaufort, Lady’s Island, Fripp Island, and parts of St. Helena Island — on the board for over six years, since 2016, and had been chairman since 2021. He was not running for reelection.
“Mr. Striebinger was an outstanding board member and will be missed tremendously. He cared deeply for the students and employees of the Beaufort County School District,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a statement Monday evening. “We will remember Mr. Striebinger as an advocate for our educators and students. We are extremely grateful for his dedication and service to Beaufort County.”
Prior to serving on the board, Striebinger was in the U.S. Marine Corps and was board treasurer for the Disabilities Foundation of Beaufort, according to a district spokesperson.
There will be a moment of silence at Tuesday’s school board meeting in Striebinger’s honor. Meetings are able to proceed if six members of the eleven-member board are present.
Vice Chair Cathy Robine will run the meeting.
“He was just an amazing board member. He listened and he led and had experience,” Robine said. “I know he felt like the board was in a good place. We’ve got a great superintendent, and he felt good about the work he had done.”
In the beginning of his time on the board, Striebinger saw many controversies surrounding then-superintendent Jeff Moss. He recently said the board has “a really good foundation” now.
He advocated for teachers and recently, under his chairmanship, the board voted to provide new and current full-time employees a $2,000 recruitment and retention bonus.
“Its a great loss for all of us,” Board Member Angela Middleton said. “It was an honor and a privilege to sit on the board with him.”
Striebinger could be seen smiling at the student performances during board meetings, which included choir and dance performances by Beaufort students.
“There was a time in the board’s history where we thought we should eliminate student performances because these meetings were running too long,” Striebringer said at a board meeting Sept. 20. “It gets a smile on your face. Its good to have at least one time that you smile at the board meeting.”
The family will hold a memorial service at a later date.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 5:45 PM.
