Success story
Learn how Zen supports consistent paraprofessional staffing and helps ensure classrooms are covered each day
Santee School District in San Diego County serves approximately 6,000 students in preschool through 8th grade across nine elementary schools and one alternative learning school. Prior to partnering with Zen, the district filled most absences internally, achieving an estimated 75–80% fill rate. However, consistent gaps remained, particularly in Special Education roles, with some school days beginning without full classroom coverage.
Absence requests were often submitted late at night or early in the morning, leaving administrators with limited time to secure coverage before the start of the school day. This created a high-pressure environment for administrators and increased the likelihood of last-minute staffing gaps. As a result, the district sought a flexible partner to reliably provide same-day coverage for roles that could not be filled internally.
Reliable Daily Coverage for SpEd Roles
The district uses Zen to secure same-day coverage for paraprofessionals and aides, particularly in mild-to-moderate special education classrooms. When internal coverage falls short, the district’s HR team submits requests through the platform, often the night before or morning of, ensuring critical roles are filled quickly.
Self-Serve Substitute Management
The Santee School District team manages requests directly through the Zen platform, where they can request specific educators who have been a strong fit in the past. If those educators are unavailable, the platform expands the request to match with other qualified educators who meet the district’s criteria, helping fill roles quickly without sacrificing educator quality.
Dedicated Account Management
A dedicated Zen Account Manager supports the district through responsive day-to-day communication via email and phone, along with in-person visits throughout the year to stay aligned with the district's evolving needs. This consistent collaboration allows the Zen team to quickly act on any feedback, which led to improvements like streamlining invoicing to better align with the district’s internal systems.
92% Fill Rate for Short-Term SpEd Coverage
Zen consistently fills hundreds of Santee School District’s short-term requests for paraprofessionals each school year, with 70% of the district’s roles being filled in under five minutes. This speed ensures students in mild-to-moderate SpEd settings receive consistent support, even when internal resources are fully utilized.
91% Fill Rate for Same-Day Requests
For day-of absences, the district can rely on Zen to secure paraprofessional coverage quickly and consistently, even when requests are submitted late at night or early in the morning, helping ensure SpEd classrooms are supported by the start of the school day.
High Satisfaction with Educator Quality and Reliability
The district reports strong satisfaction with the quality of educators provided, noting consistent reliability and positive experiences that lead to repeat placements and give school administrators confidence in the individuals supporting their classrooms.
“Our partnership with Zen Educate has greatly helped with the vacancy staffing challenges in our special education classroom settings during our recruitment efforts. The Zen staff is so responsive to our requests and we have been very pleased with the quality and well trained educators they provide to our school sites. We look forward to our continued partnership in the upcoming school year!”
Melissa Northcutt, Coordinator, Human Resources
Impact where it matters most
92%
Fill rate
for short-term SpEd roles
91%
Fill Rate
for same-day requests
70%
Roles filled within 5 minutes
for short-term SpEd roles
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