Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler is set to advance to the next level of the Alabama 2024 Superintendent of the Year competition.

An Aug. 24 press release announced that Tyler has been named the District 1 Superintendent of the Year, placing him in the running against eight other superintendents from across the state.

"It is very humbling to me. You never really expect these things, but it is nice when they happen," Tyler said. "We don't come in every day hoping for an award or an acknowledgement, and I'm in a district where any one of the men and women who serve with me could have just as easily had this opportunity."

According to the release, the competition is hosted by the School Superintendents of Alabama and Schneider Electric, and the winner will be announced at the annual SSA fall conference in Florence.

Tyler said he usually attends the conference each year and is now preparing for the interview round.

"The preparation I have been doing is my work for the past 12 years now, and my preparation is mentally going over my career so far as a superintendent, thinking about what I have contributed in this role. " Tyler said. "I'm going in with eight other outstanding candidates, and I'm looking forward to going to that conference and getting a lot of good information."

According to the release, nominations for the award were submitted from each of SSA's nine districts. The state winner is then determined based on their career achievements and success in advancing public education.

"I do thank Baldwin County for taking a chance on me, and it's hard to pinpoint one wonderful thing we have done since 2015," Tyler said. "It could be finances, construction, improving our test scores or the upcoming opening of Baldwin Prep (Baldwin Preparatory Academy is set to open in fall 2024). There are a number of things we can stand and be proud about. Our system really speaks for itself."

The state winner will also be honored at an SSA legislative conference early next year, given travel expenses to attend the AASA national conference in San Diego, California, in early spring 2024 and will receive a superintendent of the year ring and a bronze medallion from the AASA.