Editorial: David Striebinger for the school board

David Striebinger of Lady's Island is the best candidate in Tuesday's special election to fill the unexpired District 2 term on the Beaufort County Board of Education.

Opponent Rebecca Cooper is a good candidate, with educational experience from classroom teacher, to principal and assistant superintendent for human resources in other districts in this region.

But that is not what the school board needs most at this point.

The school board needs more members who will challenge the strong will of Superintendent Jeff Moss, whose nepotism has foolishly and unnecessarily cost the district its credibility.

Striebinger believes Moss is overrunning the board, and we agree. He said we should want a strong superintendent, and Moss' ideas and visions need full attention. But it is the board's job to challenge the superintendent, not the other way around.

Striebinger got involved in the race for that reason. He has consistently said the board is stuck and needs new ideas, new input and new blood to solve its major problem.

"I used to specialize in turn-around situations," he said of his career with Blue Cross Blue Shield. He retired in 2013 and has a son attending Beaufort High School, which he says has the best teachers his son has had, including those in northern Virginia.

Striebinger recognizes that the school board's reaction has made matters worse after Moss changed school district standards so his wife could be hired for a $90,000 director's position in the central office.

The school board got defensive and circled the wagons, blocking out the public in numerous secret meetings. It cracked down on public input at school board meetings. And months later, it still has not rectified its problem by taking back control of the school district or even filling the gaping hole in its nepotism policy.

The board has three members who have tried to interject reason that could help it get out of this quagmire, and they need the reinforcement that Striebinger is most likely to bring.

He has approached the matter with calm, common-sense logic. A business background is helpful for all boards. Striebinger says he knows tools from the business world that could help a well-meaning school board reset, refocus and take charge. That's what the board needs.

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Editorial: David Striebinger for the school board."