Success story
The district relied on multiple traditional staffing agencies to support short-term paraprofessional absences, but rising costs created significant budget pressure. District leadership described a looming fiscal cliff driven by agency spend, prompting an urgent need for a more cost-effective solution.
At the same time, the district’s experience with existing providers was inconsistent. While some agencies delivered acceptable educator quality, others took a more aggressive, sales-driven approach that did not align with the district’s preferences.
With a high volume of daily absences across the district, leadership needed a solution that could reliably deliver consistent coverage while remaining financially sustainable.
Cost-Effective Staffing Model
Zen offered a lower-cost alternative to the district by replacing traditional agency workflows with a more efficient, technology-enabled model. Through this approach, the district accessed qualified paraprofessionals at $10-15 less per hour, helping reduce overall agency spend and relieve growing budget pressure.
Self-Serve Substitute Management
The district uses Zen’s platform as a core part of its workflow, often submitting requests the night before to improve fill rates. Requests are automatically sent to a pool of educators, prioritizing those the district prefers. Administrators track fills in real time, message educators directly, and adjust placements as needs change.
Dedicated Account Management
While the district manages most requests through the platform, they regularly communicate with their Account Manager for both operational support and staffing guidance. In addition to resolving issues and coordinating with educators, the Account Manager helps refine educator selection, maintain a strong pool of preferred substitutes, and ensure consistent coverage across schools, often responding in minutes.
96% Fill Rate for Paraprofessional Coverage
Zen consistently fills the vast majority of short-term paraprofessional requests across the district, ensuring students receive uninterrupted support and reducing the burden on staff managing daily absences.
82% of Roles Filled Within 5 Minutes
With requests submitted through the platform and distributed instantly to preferred educators, the district consistently secures coverage in minutes. This speed extends to last-minute needs as well, with a 92% same-day fill rate ensuring reliable coverage even when requests are submitted on short notice.
Reduced Reliance on High-Cost Agencies
By shifting the majority of paraprofessional coverage to Zen, the district reduced its reliance on higher-cost staffing vendors, helping stabilize overall agency spend while maintaining consistent coverage.
Impact where it matters most
96%
Fill rate
82%
Roles filled in <5 mins
92%
Same-day fill rate
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