The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis will undoubtedly have dire consequences for all sectors of public education. The rapid transition to remote modes of instruction in the spring of 2020 and the subsequent anxiety about the start of the 2020–21 academic year have highlighted the critical need for well-prepared educators.

Although calls for additional funding for public education are significant, 1 at the time of this writing, a federal bailout is still in question, which leaves most state education agencies (SEAs) with grim outlooks and limited options (Green, 2020). Many states have considered cutting billions of dollars from state and school districts’ budgets for the 2020–21 school year to account for the precipitous drop in sales and income tax revenue (Learning Policy Institute, nd). Like the pandemic and the systemic racism plaguing our nation, budget cuts and related workforce trends may more significantly impact districts that serve a disproportionate number of Black, Indigenous, and Latino students and students from low-income households (Burnette & Will, 2020; Education & Labor Committee, 2020; Learning Policy Institute, Center on Great Teachers & Leaders [GTL Center], and CEEDAR Center, 2020).