MARATHON, Fla. — Monroe County School Board members will decide Tuesday whether Superintendent Ed Tierney’s strong first-year review warrants a longer and more lucrative contract as the Florida Keys school district adjusts to the loss of 239 students.
The proposed agreement would increase Tierney’s base salary from $199,500 to $245,000, a $45,500 raise, and extend his contract by one year.
Whether the proposal has support from a majority of the five-member board remains unclear. Board members praised Tierney during his Aug. 25 evaluation, but their comments did not amount to a public commitment to approve the new compensation package.
“I have made it clear that my wife and I love it here,” said Tierney. “And we want to retire in the Florida Keys.”
The timing could draw scrutiny. The district is managing an enrollment decline while continuing collective bargaining with United Teachers of Monroe over employee compensation for the 2026-27 school year.
Tierney’s current three-year contract was approved June 10, 2025. In addition to his $199,500 base salary, it provides $5,000 a year for professional and civic activities, an $850 monthly vehicle allowance and district medical and retirement benefits. His salary and specified cash allowances total about $214,700 annually before benefits.
The proposed $245,000 salary would represent an increase of about 23% over his original base pay.
It would put Tierney at the top of highest paid administrators for similar sized school districts in the Sunshine State. Okaloosa County, which as a larger FTE of 32,999.63, pays its superintendent $200,987 annually.
Tierney, a former deputy superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District, was selected after a five-month search. The board chose him over two local finalists, Deputy Superintendent Amber Archer Acevedo and Coral Shores High School Principal Laura Lietaert.
A little more than a year later, board members gave Tierney high marks.
During the Aug. 25 meeting at Coral Shores High School, members commended his knowledge, initiative, accessibility and leadership. Evaluation scores ranged from 3, meeting requirements, to 5, outstanding.
Board members described his first year as “incredible,” his evaluation as “near perfect” and his performance as “impressive.”
Board Chair John Dick then asked the district’s attorney to prepare a new agreement extending Tierney’s contract and increasing his pay.
The compensation decision comes as enrollment has fallen by 239 students. The decline is smaller than an earlier projection of more than 320 students but still presents a financial challenge.
Monroe County’s 2026-27 Florida Education Finance Program calculation provides an average of $13,671.57 in combined state and local operating funding for each full-time-equivalent student.
Multiplying that average by 239 produces a straight-line gross figure of about $3.27 million. But that is not the district’s actual projected revenue loss.
About 81% of Monroe County’s state and local school funding comes from local property taxes, which do not decline dollar-for-dollar when enrollment falls. The state-funded portion averages $2,637.31 per student, producing a benchmark of about $630,000 for 239 students.
The actual effect will depend on student funding classifications, categorical programs, enrollment survey counts and Florida’s required-local-effort formula.
Immigration, Charter Schools and Other Issues Effect Enrollment
Tierney said that the drop was due to a number of factors including immigration and the repeal of Temporary Protective Status, increasing scholarships for charter and private schools as well as home schooling.
“All of those are playing a role in declining enrollment,” said Tierney. “Plus you have families leaving because they can’t afford to live in the Keys.”
He also said that the number of students leaving was less than the annual projection of approximately 350 students.
“Percentage wise, we are on par with the South Florida school districts that are encountering a lot of the same problems,” he said.
No Issues with ICE/CBP — Yet
Tierney told Above the Fold that although they have been hearing rumors of students and immigration actions, that they have not had any issue on school property.
“Like anybody else attempting to access our schools, they would have to go through a process,” said Tierney. “Out first call would be to local law enforcement to make sure they were legally allowed to access the school. Obviously, if they have a warrant they would be allowed in, but just like anybody else, its is a fairly lengthy process to gain access.
Budget Proposal Sees Lowest Proposed Millage Rate in a Decade
At the same meeting, the board is also considering a proposed $179.9 million budget for 2026-27, an increase of approximately $6.5 million, or 3.8%, from the previous year. Much of the increase is tied to employee salaries and benefits. School safety and security spending exceeds $4 million.
The proposed total school tax rate is 2.817 mills, down 0.13 mills from last year and the district’s lowest rate in more than a decade. Rising property values, however, mean the lower rate is still expected to generate additional tax revenue.
Tierney’s contract proposal follows a year of organizational changes. He eliminated some administrative positions through attrition, transferred other positions from the central office to schools and sent administrators into schools for extended assignments through his “One Team, One Goal — Student Success” initiative.
Amendment 3 Shouldn’t Impact Monroe County Schools, But Probably Will
The looming repeal of property taxes proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis has a carve out for schools, but Tierney said that he is expecting it could have an impact.
“If you don’t pay one way, you will pay in another,” said Tierney. “Some of the municipalities may start charging for traffic control and other services to attempt to offset the costs.”
But, because of the small number of homesteaded properties in Monroe County coupled with rising property values, officials expect the impact to be minimal.
The Report Cards Come Home
The district also maintained an A grade for 2025-26, increasing its state accountability score from 763 to 774 points.
The graduation rate rose from 88% to 93%. College and career acceleration increased from 58% to 64%, while English language arts achievement and learning gains improved from 59% to 61%.
Results varied by school.
Poinciana Elementary and Plantation Key School earned A grades. Coral Shores High School, Key Largo School, Marathon Middle High School and Sugarloaf School each finished at 64%, one percentage point below the state’s new A threshold, and received B grades.
Gerald Adams Elementary and Stanley Switlik Elementary also earned B grades. Horace O’Bryant School and Key West High School received C grades.
During the Aug. 25 presentation, board member Sue Woltanski questioned whether changes in the student population, including the loss of some English language learners, contributed to the districtwide gains.
“I’m really proud of the gains that were made, but we’re going to need to know how much of that is a population change,” Woltanski said.
The board has made its approval of Tierney’s first-year performance clear. Tuesday’s decision is whether that performance warrants a 23% increase in base pay and another year on his contract while enrollment is falling and compensation for teachers and other employees remains under negotiation.
Watch the Aug. 25 School Board meeting — the Superintendent evaluation and board discussion are included in the 1-hour, 12-minute recording.
Read the Aug. 25 meeting agenda and Tierney evaluation record — Tierney’s evaluation, cumulative score sheet and summative evaluation are listed under Action Item E.1.
Open the Sept. 8 agenda containing Tierney’s proposed contract — this is the official district agenda link for Tuesday’s meeting.
The Monroe County School Board will meet Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. at Marathon High School, 350 Sombrero Beach Road in Marathon. The meeting will be broadcast live on the district’s School Board meeting portal.
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