Like many districts across the country, El Rancho Unified School District (USD) faced significant challenges in staffing their Special Education (SPED) classrooms, particularly with a shrinking in-house substitute teacher pool following the pandemic. With a limited pool of in-house substitutes and an urgent need for paraprofessional support, El Rancho turned to Swing Education to fill critical gaps in their SPED staffing. Since integrating Swing into their daily operations, the district has experienced a nearly 100% fill rate for SPED absences, greater flexibility in managing substitute requests, and more predictable budget control.

Managing special education absences with limited resources

Jacqueline Ramos, the administrative secretary for the SPED department, recalls, “Our own sub pool thinned out when we came back in person [after the pandemic]. There was a huge need to fill. There were just holes everywhere.” 

The options to fill the gaps did not meet El Rancho’s needs. El Rancho’s previous staffing agency had inflexible contracts that required a six-hour minimum for paraprofessionals, which made it challenging to cover shorter shifts, such as those needed for modified days in preschool or kindergarten. Contract commitments were too inflexible to adapt to their needs. 

When last-minute absences occurred, it was a scramble to find coverage. Regular staff members often had to step in, leaving classrooms understaffed. “What would happen is the staff support that was at the classroom would sometimes have to be that primary support, so then it would leave the classroom with just the primary and the teacher,” says Ramos. “It was horrible.”

The need for change

These issues left the district’s SPED staff feeling unsupported and created a strain on their ability to provide consistent, quality education for their special education students. “Sometimes we had to pull our aides from one site to another depending on where the higher needs were,” Ramos recalls. “Before Swing, we would have maybe 12 unfilled positions on any given day.”

“Teachers felt unsupported, other staff felt overwhelmed,” says Ramos.

The turning point

In February 2023, El Rancho partnered with Swing and began seeing a change in their ability to cover SPED absences. Swing gave them the flexibility they needed to book paraprofessionals on short notice and without being locked into long-term commitments.

El Rancho immediately felt the difference, especially with how effortless the process became in filling last-minute needs. “I can wake up in the morning and say, ‘Okay, we need a half-day sub today,’ put in the request, and it’s filled,” Ramos shares. “It’s super easy. The platform is easy to use. It’s been really great!”

A game changer for SPED staffing

Since partnering with Swing, El Rancho has seen significant improvements in filling special education roles. The flexibility that Swing offers has been a game changer, reducing the stress of last-minute absences and ensuring classrooms are fully staffed.

El Rancho now enjoys a nearly 100% fill rate for paraprofessional requests. Ramos emphasizes how this reliability has transformed their daily operations: “I’ll have anywhere between 30 and 50 requests per day sometimes. And it’s filled 99-100% every day.”

The platform’s ease of use has also been a key benefit, enabling quick requests for both short-term and long-term vacancies. “The platform is super easy to use. It doesn’t require you to be tech-savvy. You can develop what methods work best for you,” Ramos notes, adding that it allows her to move paraprofessionals between sites to match their skills with the needs of each classroom.

With Swing’s flat-rate pricing and no long-term commitment requirements, El Rancho has been able to more effectively manage its budget for SPED substitute coverage. Ramos shares, “It’s cost-effective in a sense where there’s no long-term commitment.” This predictable cost structure has allowed the district to fill positions without additional financial strain or administrative complexity.

Strong relationships and reliable support

Beyond solving the logistical and financial challenges, Swing Education has also enabled El Rancho to build positive relationships with paraprofessionals. By using the same trusted paraprofessionals repeatedly at certain sites, the district has been able to create continuity for students and staff. 

“We have one sub who’s been at our middle school from the very beginning,” Ramos shares. “The principal loves him, and he’s part of our team.”

In addition to the qualified paraprofessionals, Ramos values Swing’s responsiveness and personalized service: “Even though Swing is a platform, there are people behind that platform, and that’s what the beauty of it is.”

“I don’t feel like I’m a nobody. If we have any concerns, they’re resolved.”

Conclusion

By eliminating the challenges of last-minute scrambles, improving budget control, and building strong relationships with substitute staff, El Rancho is now better equipped to provide quality education for their special needs students. For districts facing similar challenges, especially in special education, Ramos offers this advice: “I would recommend [Swing]. It’s great.”

“The flexibility, the no commitment, the huge pool. If you plug [a request] in, it’s going to be filled by 8:30, and someone will report. To me, that’s just the beauty of it.”

El Rancho USD’s partnership with Swing Education has transformed how the district manages its SPED staffing needs. With an easy-to-use platform, dependably high fill rates, and reliable paraprofessional support, El Rancho can focus on providing the level of educational support their students need.

Swing serves special education requests across California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.