The Baldwin County Board of Education has selected Marty McRae as the district’s next superintendent, elevating him from interim superintendent to the permanent position effective immediately. McRae succeeds Eddie Tyler, who led Baldwin County Public Schools for 11 years.
McRae brings 36 years of experience entirely within Baldwin County Public Schools, having served the district as a teacher, coach, technology coordinator, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. He began his career as a math teacher and coach at Fairhope High School, later serving as the school’s technology coordinator and administrative intern.
He went on to serve as assistant principal at Fairhope High School from 2004 to 2010, then as principal of Spanish Fort High School from 2010 to 2015. McRae has also served as Baldwin County’s athletic director since 2015. He was assistant superintendent of Secondary Education from 2015 to 2022, overseeing and evaluating secondary school principals and supporting curriculum initiatives such as dual enrollment, distance learning and credit recovery programs.
Most recently, McRae served as assistant superintendent for Prevention and Support/Student Services, overseeing transportation, child nutrition, attendance, alternative education, after-school programs, counseling and health services. In that role, he also led the rollout of districtwide safety initiatives, including surveillance systems, employee panic alerts and standardized emergency response protocols.
McRae and Tony McGee, a superintendent in Mississippi, were the board’s two finalists for the position, and both were interviewed before the board’s vote. Several Baldwin County residents addressed the board ahead of the decision, urging members to weigh the long-term impact of their choice on students, teachers and families.
McRae holds a Master of Education from the University of South Alabama and a Bachelor of Science from Auburn University at Montgomery, along with administrative certification and Superintendent Academy completion from the University of South Alabama in 2020.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as superintendent of Baldwin County Public Schools,” McRae said. “Baldwin County is a special place that must be preserved while the district becomes one of the most competitive in the state.”
Board member Andrea Lindsey said the district is in a strong position but still has room to grow, adding that she expects McRae to build on the system’s momentum. McRae said one of his early priorities will be managing the county’s rapid growth, including finding land and building new schools to keep pace with the influx of new residents. Baldwin County Public Schools serves more than 30,000 students and employs about 4,500 people, making it one of Alabama’s largest school systems.