Success story
Minnesota School District Cuts SpEd Vacancies by 30%
Learn how Zen turned a significant paraprofessional shortage into an "effortless" hiring experience.
In the spring of 2023, the school district confronted a significant shortage of paraprofessionals within their Special Education program. Despite posting over 70 positions, the response from applicants was minimal.
The institution engaged the services of other agencies in an attempt to address the issue; however, the results yielded an insufficient number of candidates, and the associated costs for those secured were exceptionally high.
In mid-March, the Zen team initiated consultations with multiple district schools to discern and address their most critical needs.
Recognizing the diverse requirements of each school, encompassing candidate specifications for center- based, resource, and mainstream programs, we meticulously identified candidates tailored to meet these specific criteria.
By April, Zen placed four candidates in their priority program, expanding to eight by year-end.
Zen also secured 15 candidates for their summer school which had been short-staffed year over year.
Our ongoing efforts resulted in a 30% reduction in the vacancy rate at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
School District Special Education Program Supervisor
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