According to an email Eddie Tyler sent to parents in the Baldwin County school system, his retirement will become effective June 30, 2026.

Tyler has been the Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent for the past 11 years. Baldwin County Public Schools in Alabama serves over 30,000 students across 44 schools.

The resignation letter he wrote to his staff members reads as follows:

Dear Colleagues,

50 years, almost 51. That’s how long I’ve loved education. I wanted you to hear this from me first, so before the posts are made and the assumptions start, here goes.

After 50 years in education and 11 years as your superintendent, I will be retiring from Baldwin County Public Schools, effective June 30, 2026. Assistant Superintendent Marty McRae will serve as interim superintendent while the board conducts its search for who will lead our system next. Mr. McRae brings more than 30 years of experience in education and a deep commitment to our students and staff. I have no doubt he, along with our senior staff, will steer this ship and keep it on course.

Now that I’ve gotten the business stuff out of the way, I do want to say a few things to you. Looking back over the last 11 years, it has been an incredible journey. Our story is a great one. When I returned as superintendent, our schools faced real challenges. There were no clear plans for new buildings, and long-term bonds were impacting taxpayers. Together, we have turned that around.

We have built and are building new schools across the county thanks to a pay-as-you-go financial structure unique to Baldwin County Public Schools. Communities have passed voter-approved millages to fund programs like STEAM, instructional aides and behavior coaches. Our individual school and district state rankings continue to go up. We are on the cusp of a systemwide “A.” This is a huge deal for a county school system of our size.

We are leaders here in Baldwin County. We were the first to return to brick-and-mortar instruction after the pandemic. We successfully started and have maintained a Virtual School so our children have more options. To further those options, we built a multimillion-dollar career tech school where we are changing the stereotype of CTE every day. We have requests to visit our schools from across the area, the region and the country.

Right here at home, families continue to choose our school system because of the quality of education we provide. None of this would be possible without your dedication and hard work.

Our teachers and staff are the heart of this system. Your commitment allows us to pay teachers above the state salary matrix and attract the very best educators. I see every day how your work impacts our students’ growth, achievement and success. The numbers don’t lie.

I know education is changing. I know it’s more political than ever. Never lose focus on what we’ve been called to do. We fight the good fight. The naysayers can try to overshadow the amazing work happening across our system, but we can never let them win.

I cannot tell you the joy you have brought me. From walking down the halls and someone yelling “Hey, Coach,” to many of you knowing my weakness for sweets and providing me all the treats I could ever want. From the texts and emails I would receive after a hard week, to the students who thought I was the president when I would come to your assemblies. From talking football while my truck is getting worked on in Transportation, to the hard conversations I’ve had with many of you while you tell me what’s going on in your life and we try to find how to best help you. From the smiles at Special Olympics to the proud moment when I look at all of your faces at Institute. These are just a few of the things I will take with me.

And since I am a coach at heart, I will leave you with this: play hard, play smart and always give your students your very best. That is how champions are made, and that is how we have achieved so much together in Baldwin County. It might look like it is the pollen in the air making my eyes a little teary, but the truth is it is not. I am filled with gratitude, love for this system and memories that will last a lifetime. One final comment from this ole ball coach to our 4,500 employees, “The hay is in the barn! I’m gone but YOU will never be forgotten!”

With love and a few happy tears,

Eddie Tyler,

Superintendent

Mr. Tyler was appointed superintendent on September 17, 2015. He is a veteran of Baldwin County Public Schools, having served 25 years in our school system before he became superintendent of Eufaula City School System in February 2012.

In his tenure as an educator, Mr. Tyler has served as a teacher, bus driver, assistant coach, athletic director, and head football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis and track coach. Mr. Tyler also served as an assistant principal for seven years, a high school principal for five, and for four years, prior to Eufaula, as Assistant Superintendent of the Baldwin County School System.