< Previous The influx of charters, which now constitute about a quarter of schools managed by the School District of Philadelphia, has complicated the decision-making process for parents choosing between the public neighborhood schools nearby, magnet public schools with citywide admissions, and tuition-based private schools. Local policymakers have long sparred over how many charter schools should operate in the district, how oversight of their administration should work, and how they should be funded relative to public schools. The Philadelphia Board of Education has not approved a new charter since 2018, the year it regained authority over the district from the state, which had temporarily taken control of Philly schools. In partnership with The Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting and Chalkbeat Philadelphia, Billy Penn is launching a series examining how charter schools are impacting educational disparities in Philadelphia. We’ll ex- plore how charters are managed, how they stack up against the city’s public schools, how equita- ble their admissions are, the politics behind their funding, and what the experience of teaching at a charter is like, among other topics. To kick off, we’ll address 10 key questions about charters and how they differ from other school models. WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS? Charter schools are best understood as a hybrid between public and private schools. They receive a good amount of government funding and are held to some of the same operational standards as public schools, but are managed privately. In Pennsylvania, they’re managed by nonprofits. While exempt from a lot of the Pennsylva- nia School Code, charters must maintain the same employee criminal history checks, open meetings, health and safety regulations, special education programs, civil rights, and open records as public schools do. Charter schools also have to follow the same statewide assessment system, including administering the PSSAs and the Keystone exams. Charters must offer core courses (think math, science, and English) that are aligned with state and federal standards, but can design their own curriculums. Charters are also allowed to offer their own electives and academic programs or “tracks,” such as Spanish immersion programs or programming around the arts or sciences. Of the Philly School District’s nearly 200,000 students for the 2022-23 academic year, about 58% were enrolled in public schools, 33% in charters, 7% in cyber charter schools, and the remainder in alternative schools. HOW ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS FUNDED? Charter schools are different from private schools, which receive no public funding and charge each student tuition. In Pennsylvania, local school districts follow a state formula to send charters a per-student payment from their taxpayer-funded budget. Exactly how much depends on each district’s per-student expense, so it varies widely across the commonwealth. For non-special education students, the per-stu- dent amount allocated to charters in the 2023-24 academic year ranged from about $8,600 in Lu- zerne County to over $26,500 in Bucks County. Philadelphia falls on the lower side of the scale at about $11,500 per non-special ed student. The special education expenditure is much higher, usually at least double the per-student amount. In Philadelphia, the district sends charters more than $36,000 per special education student enrolled. HOW DO CHARTERS GET STARTED? To open in Pennsylvania, a nonprofit must first apply to and obtain a charter from its local school board that outlines a set of requirements and standards for the school to operate. (Cyber charter schools obtain their charters directly from the state.) The board must hold at least one public hearing on the application. If a charter school is rejected during the process, the nonprofit behind it can revise and resubmit the application locally or appeal the decision to a state board composed of the Penn- sylvania secretary of education and six members appointed by the governor. Charters must be renewed by the school district at least once every five years. The local school board can choose to renew the charter for just one year if it has questions about the school’s performance, with the idea that it will use the additional year of academic data to determine whether to renew the charter for longer. WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF CHARTERS? Since their inception in Minnesota in 1991 and their arrival in Philadelphia in 1997, charter schools have been a hotly debated topic. Proponents argue that they improve student success in the long term. They often believe the public school system in place doesn’t serve all students well for various reasons, ranging from systemic inefficiencies to intrinsic biases. Those in favor of charters say their existence creates needed competition between schools, increas- ing the overall quality of education by forcing schools to innovate in curriculum and approach. Some charter schools perform exceptionally well; some do not. In 2023, 21 of U.S. News and World Report’s top 100 high schools were charters (none is in Pennsylvania). The list ranks schools based on performance on standardized tests, college preparation, and graduation rates, among other factors. WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST? Opponents of charters believe they harm public schools by funneling money away from an already underfunded public school system to privately administered institutions with less oversight than the district at large. Past charter school CEOs and other adminis- trators in Philadelphia and elsewhere have been accused of mismanaging or even embezzling millions of dollars in funding. Opponents also argue that charter admissions can be inequitable due to bias or bad manage- How Charter Schools Work in Philadelphia, and Why They’re Controversial by Ella Lathan, Billy Penn 18 | TALK MAGAZINE • FALL 2023 The issue of charter schools is one of the biggest ongoing debates in Philadelphia and the education landscape nationwide. On the rise across the U.S. since the 1990s, charters have added fuel to the question of how to allocate school funding and whether parents should have more options for where to send their children.ment, or too selective based on the sensitive information an applicant may have to give when applying. For example, in 2012, Philadelphia’s overseer of charters found 18 schools imposed “significant barriers to entry,” with one school requesting a typed book report and proof of citizenship. A significant proportion of charter schools don’t survive. Nationwide, more than 25% of charters close within five years, and 40% close within 10 years of opening, according to a 2020 analysis by public school advocacy group the Network for Public Education. Between 2013 and 2020, Philadelphia saw 16 charter schools close, according to the school district. The district currently has 87 charters in operation, versus 217 district-run public schools. HOW DO CHARTER SCHOOLS PER- FORM VERSUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS? On average across the country, there were “no measurable differences” found between reading or math scores at either the fourth grade or eigth grade level, according to a 2017 U.S. Dept. of Education report. In Philadelphia recently, there were minimal differences between the lowest state test scores for charters and public schools. In science, about 33% of charter school students scored “below basic” compared to 34% in public schools, according to an analysis of 2022 PSSA data for schools in the district. In English, about 25% of charter school students scored below basic versus 30% for traditional public schools. Math scores were similar, with roughly 65% of students in both charter and traditional public schools scoring below basic. Philly charter schools had an average 85% four- year graduation rate in 2021, while traditional public schools had a 75% average graduation rate, according to an analysis of district data. HOW DO STUDENTS GET INTO CHARTERS? Charter schools, like all other schools, are legally not allowed to discriminate against race, religion, gender, and other forms of identity. But while any student can enroll in a charter, if more stu- dents apply than the school can teach, students are put into a lottery system. These charter school lotteries are not overseen by the district and have at times faced criticism of discrimination. Last spring, for example, a top administrator at Philadelphia’s top-rated Franklin Towne Charter School alleged that the lottery was manipulated to keep certain students from being enrolled and that most of the students denied were from predominantly Black ZIP codes. The school district investigated and found enough evidence to recommend the charter be revoked. The Phil- adelphia School Board voted in August to send Franklin Towne official notice of this, kicking off a process that could take years to resolve. WHO TEACHES IN CHARTER SCHOOLS? Pennsylvania law says at least 75% of charter school professional staff must hold appropriate licenses and certification. Principals, vice principals, or assistant principals at charters must hold administrative certificates. Special education teachers, school nurses, school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, and any positions defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, must also hold appropriate and valid certifications. Unlike at public schools in Philadelphia, regular teachers at charter schools are not required to be certified. Charter school teachers can be a part of a union. The Alliance for Charter School Employees in Philly, organized by the PA-AFT, allows individu- al employees of charter schools to join its union even if other members of the school choose not to. WHAT ARE PHILADELPHIA RENAISSANCE SCHOOLS? Back in 2010, Philadelphia School Superinten- dent Arlene Ackerman launched a “Renaissance Schools Initiative” aimed at improving the low- est-performing public schools by turning them over to charter nonprofits. These schools became charter schools with one difference: Instead of open enroll- ment, they are required to continue to serve students in their “catchment areas,” or neighborhoods. At first, seven district schools were turned over to charter providers, and more were converted under Superintendent William Hite. But since their inception, four of these schools have either closed or been returned to the district as public schools. In the 2023-24 academic year, there were 18 Renaissance charters in operation. WHERE DOES CHERELLE PARKER STAND ON CHARTERS? Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee for Philadelphia mayor who is heavily favored to win the race to succeed Jim Kenney in November, has been guarded in her comments on the district’s current charter school system. (Philly mayors do not have direct oversight over schools, but do appoint school board members.) Parker has said she supports “good seats” no matter what kind of school they’re in, “but we can’t get there if there is a battle between charters and traditional public schools,” she told Chalkbeat last spring. To reduce the criticism that charters suck fund- ing out of the public school system, Parker said she would advocate for state reimbursement to districts for any student that switches from pub- lic to charter. This used to exist, but was rolled back in 2011. “Reinstating this will grow the pot of funds and allow for more opportunity for Philadelphia’s students no matter what type of school they attend,” Parker said. WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 19SEVEN SYMBOLS The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, are a set of ideals created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle. Mazao, the crops (fruits, nuts, and vegetables) Symbolizes work and the basis of the holiday. It represents the historical foundation for Kwanzaa, the gathering of the people that is patterned after African harvest festivals in which joy, sharing, unity, and thanksgiving are the fruits of collective planning and work. Since the family is the basic social and economic center of every civilization, the celebration bonded family members, reaffirming their commitment and responsibility to each other. Mkeka: Place Mat The mkeka, made from straw or cloth, comes directly from Africa and expresses history, culture, and tradition. It symbolizes the historical and tradi- tional foundation for us to stand on and build our lives because today stands on our yesterdays, just as the other symbols stand on the mkeka. During Kwanzaa, we study, recall, and reflect on our history and the role we are to play as a legacy to the future. Vibunzi: Ear of Corn The stalk of corn represents fertility and symbolizes that through the reproduction of children, the future hopes of the family are brought to life. One ear is called vibunzi, and two or more ears are called mihindi. Each ear symbolizes a child in the family, and thus one ear is placed on the mkeka for each child in the family. If there are no children in the home, two ears are still set on the mkeka because each person is responsible for the children of the community. During Kwanzaa, we take the love and nurturance that was heaped on us as children and selflessly return it to all children, especially the helpless, homeless, loveless ones in our community. Mishumaa Saba: The Seven Candles Candles are ceremonial objects with two primary purposes: to re-create symbolically the sun’s power and to provide light. The celebration of fire through candle burning is not limited to one particular group or country; it occurs everywhere. Mishumaa saba are the seven candles: three red, three green and one black. The back candle symbolizes Umoja (unity), the basis of success, and is lit on December 26. The three green candles, representing Nia, Ujima, and Imani, are placed to the right of the Umoja candle, while the three red candles, representing Kujichagulia, Ujamaa, and Kuumba, are placed to the left of it. Mishumaa saba’s symbolic colors are from the red, black and green flag (bendara) created by Marcus Garvey. Kinara: The Candleholder The kinara is the center of the Kwanzaa setting and represents the original stalk from which we came: our ancestry. The kinara can be shape – straight lines, semicircles, or spirals – as long as the seven candles are separate and distinct, like a candelabra. Kinaras are made from all kinds of materials, and many celebrants create their own from fallen branches, wood, or other natural materials. The kinara symbolizes the ancestors, who were once earth- KWANZAA 20 | TALK MAGAZINE • FALL 2023 THE HISTORY OF KWANZAA The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal. On each of the seven nights, the family gathers and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara (candleholder), then one of the seven principles is discussed. The principles, called the Nguzo Saba (seven principles in Swahili) are val- ues of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing community among African-Amer- icans. Kwanzaa also has seven basic symbols which represent values and concepts reflective of African culture. An African feast, called a Karamu, is held on December 31. The candle-lighting ceremony each evening provides the opportunity to gather and discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa. The first night, the black can- dle in the center is lit (and the principle of umoja/ unity is discussed). One candle is lit each evening and the appropriate principle is discussed. SEVEN PRINCIPLES The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba are a set of ideals created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle. Unity: Umoja (oo–MO–jah) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Self-determination: Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. Collective Work and Responsibility: Ujima (oo–GEE–mah) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Cooperative Economics: Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah) To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. Purpose: Nia (nee–YAH) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Creativity: Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Faith: Imani (ee–MAH–nee) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languag- es in Africa. The seven principles which form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. These principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooper- ative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa gets its name from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” and is rooted in first fruit celebrations which are found in cultures throughout Africa both in ancient and modern times. Kwanzaa is a time for families and communities to come together to remember the past and to celebrate African American culture.WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 21 bound; understand the problems of human life; and are willing to protect their progeny from danger, evil, and mistakes. In African festivals, the ances- tors are remembered and honored. The mishumaa saba are placed in the kinara. Kikombe Cha Umoja: The Unity Cup The kikombe cha umoja is a special cup that is used to perform the libation (tambiko) ritual during the Karamu feast on the sixth day of Kwanzaa. In many African societies libation are poured for the living dead whose souls stay with the earth they tilled. The Ibo of Nigeria believe that to drink the last portion of a libation is to invite the wrath of the spirits and the ancestors; consequently, the last part of the libation belongs to the ancestors. During the Karamu feast, the kikombe cha umoja is passed to family member and guests, who drink from it to promote unity. Then, the eldest person present pours the libation (tambiko), usually water, juice, or wine, in the direction of the four winds – north, south, east, and west – to honor the ancestors. Zawadi: Gifts When we celebrate Imani on the seventh day of Kwanzaa, we give meaningful zawadi (gifts) to encourage growth, self-determination, achievement, and success. We exchange gifts with members of our immediate family, especially the children, to promote or reward accomplishments and commitments kept, as well as with our guests. The gift cements social relationships, allowing the receiver to share the duties and the rights of a family member. Accept- ing a gift makes the receiver part of the family and promotes Umoja. Excerpted from the book: The Complete Kwanzaa Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest. Copyright 1995 by Dorothy Winbush Riley. Reprinted with permission from HarperPerennial, a division of HarperCol- lins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved . It’s an honor and a privilege To be made in God’s image Designed by Divine hands We are fearfully And wonderfully made It’s God’s wish And ultimate plan That we would trust Him In every endeavor We must reach for God’s Everlasting hands So we may see peace And prosperity again No longer Shall we sit silently And idly by And watch our people perish For lack of knowledge It’s time we recognize We are Our brother’s keeper Furthermore, We are at war For their souls When we are not Pro-active It brings the devil A great deal of satisfaction Our silence greatly enhances Lucifer’s chances of maintaining Power and control of lost souls Together we can all on God Pray and say the “Jesus” And we’ll see the devil flee If we seek the light Of Our Lord and Savior “Jesus Christ” He indeed we breathe life Hope peace and prosperity Back into our communities 2nd Chronicles 7-14 “If My People Who are called by my name Shall humble themselves and pray And seek my face And turn from their wicked ways Then I will hear from Heaven And forgive their sin And heal their land”. “I Love My People” Amen “I love My People” by Mike Vick22 | TALK MAGAZINE • FALL 2023 Philadelphia has many different nicknames. Most commonly known as the “City of Brotherly Love,” it has historical references as being ‘The Birth- place of America, The City That Loves You Back, The Cradle of Liberty, and The City of Neighborhoods.” Each name carries with it an overarching theme; one of love, reciprocation, liberties, and community. It serves as no surprise, then, that Philadelphians have always understood the assignment: To work collectively towards ensuring collective impact. For many, however, the idea of community impact feels lost in spaces where their input, and that of the community at large, is restrictive. No example is more glaring than the Philadelphia School Board. Most communities adhere to a democratic process from which to elect a School Board. Short of Receivership, school elections are one of many loca- tions where the ‘power of the people’ can ultimately control the outcome of their society. Aspiring candidates across the Commonwealth adhere to the process of candidacy, petitioning their community, seeking the neighbor- hood’s endorsement, and ultimately, their vote. It is said Elected officials always speak to the needs of their communities. No area is arguably more in need of community input than a school district. Education belongs to the people. Our fight as African Americans to make that a reality dates back to slavery. That ability to govern our intellectual futures has always been a space of ‘tug of war’ between those who withheld education and prevented our overall progress, and those who continue to fight to ensure education remains a right and freedom for us all. Philadelphia, a city historically known for democratic processes, active civic engagement and the promotion of social justice, seems oddly defiant in one of society’s largest areas of social responsibility, education. Originally, school boards oversaw the schools. In 1867, the Act of Assembly allowed controllership to govern public schools, which brought about a shift in educational ownership with transference of board membership going to Common Pleas Court Judicial Systems. This allowed for each ward to have a controllership to reduce overall political control. In time, the mayor became the person appointing the school board. Another wave of control occurred in 2001 when the State took over and appointed five members within a newly structured School Reform Commission. The 2018 disband- ing of the SRC returned control to the city and the mayor’s elected School Board. ( Reference: Edmunds, Franklin D (1917). “The Public-School buildings of the City of Philadelphia from 1853 to 1867” .) With over 200 thousand enrolled students, Philadelphia’s public-school system’s ‘tug of war’ around educational reform allowed for less commu- nity involvement as time went on. This has remained a concern for many Philadelphians to this day. For many, this reality of government control is all they know. However, for residents like 90-year-old Madaline Dunn, the new normalcy of government control mimics an unfortunate past for Afri- can American children. Madaline Dunn, a local resident born and raised in West Philadelphia, spent her life civically engaged. She raised money for the NAACP, witnessed MLK visiting Philadelphia, encouraged people to vote and become active in parental involvement within the Philadelphia City School District. “What’s happening today is unfortunate. Not having a voice is awful” Dunn says. “It feels like as we got out of one thing, and liberated from one thing, we were shoved into another thing to keep us from progressing.” Her disheartened remarks come as a person who has seen firsthand the ways in which poor civic engagement and control over the educational system has harmed pa- rental involvement in the school system’s operations. “They don’t care because there’s not too much space for us to have a voice, for us to speak, and be able to make decisions that make our schools run better,” she says. “It just feels like they find a way to undermine the community” adds Dunn. School funding, programming considerations, expenditures, and lead- ership appointments are all controlled by the school board. For Dunn, all those things are areas where the community, and the leaders elected, should have control-not the person whom the mayor elects. “The power should lie with the people. There are so many counties in the state of PA that elects its own school board. Why wouldn’t Philadelphia? They have to trust their communities to pick the leaders they want to make decisions on the leaders who affect our education system” adds Dunn. “We spend all this time liberating ourselves just to have education become controlled by the government and politics.” For some, having the Mayor elect a school board and having them confirmed by a City Council ensures for appropriate qualifications and vetting processes. This can allow for expertise, educational background, and experiences to aid in appropriate decision making. For individuals like Dunn, however, this process doesn’t have a focus and concentration on the people, it puts too much power in the hands of the government. “The parents that complain and get a chance to talk just in meetings don’t have the control. The people who are elected have control. We need to give control to people that live here, and the parents that can choose a person they feel can do something about their concerns.” Dunn, like many others, feels that the educational system has become more political than it should be, with the opportunity for communities to be empowered in their own educational school system an impossibility. “The people who suffer are making other people suffer. When our kids suffer from not having a good education, they commit crimes and then those people suffer. When our government suffers, they create a community that suffers” she adds. “Our foundation is gone” she says. “We used to teach phonics. We used to have books available to kids that educated them on who they are. We used to have parents that could get help. I can still remember my teachers. All my teachers were Black. They all cared whether we learned or not. They felt our pain. We had leaders that saw holes in our clothes and did something about it and put togeth- er programs to help in the schools. Our leaders aren’t picked by us, so they’re not always connected to us” she argues. With the educational system relying on test scores, assessments, and po- litical support for funding and support, what role will communities play in taking control of their educational futures? What will the future of educa- tion look like without the vote directly given to residents? For residents like Dunn, she hopes to see a future where her grandchildren and other kids will have school systems led by a school board that is more a ‘room of her peers,’ with elected, not selected officials. “Kids want to see people they grow up with and who raise them in their lives helping them to succeed” says Dunn. “At this point, I’m in my 90’s, but I notice a lack of respect for our community. It’s been rough on me for the last 20 years, seeing how downhill we’ve come. Parents aren’t trusted to control their families or speak up for their children. I used to be able to drop by several times a day to multiple schools to ensure schools were doing the right thing. We used to have community organizers watching over our schools. Now we can’t because the shades are down, the doors are locked, and the schools are closed off to us in a different way than before. It doesn’t seem to matter that power remains with the people” she concludes. Until there is more civic empowerment, Dunn recommends not holding your breath and moving forward through alternative routes. “I’m going to keep trying to move us forward. We can’t stop wanting to have control over our education. When we had less, we seemed to care more, now that it looks like we have more, the less we seem to care.” Dunn stresses the importance of pushing the educational needs through the City Council. “If we can’t have the school board, we need to make sure those who are on council approving the candi- dates are people we trust. That is the solution until we are able to advocate and speak for ourselves in the election of a school board. That is hopefully how we get power back to the people.” For a city like Philadelphia, whose identity is rooted and centered on togetherness, collaboration, love, and social justice, it seems most appropriate to find ways to ensure the voice, and power, of the people, remains the most valuable tool for change in their society. The Philadelphia School Board: Why ‘The City of Neighborhoods’ Should Empower Communities Through the Voting Process by Ana White Madaline DunnPennsylvania has a long history of coal and clay mining. As a result of this underground mining, millions of structures in Pennsylvania are located over old, abandoned underground coal and clay mines. Mine Subsidence Insurance provides financial compensation for losses caused by the movement of the earth's surface that results from the collapse of underground coal and clay mines in Pennsylvania. This coverage is offered through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Environ- mental Protection. Damage due to mine subsidence or mine water breakouts is usually not covered by your homeowner's insurance policy. GET COVERAGE If your home is at risk, coverage is available and affordable. Residential Coverage of $150,000 costs just $41.25 a year. Since 1961, the Mine Subsidence Insurance program has paid out over $36 million in homeowner claims. Coverage is provided for complete buildings, buildings under construction, appurtenances to insured structures and for incidental losses that are a consequence of a loss. Mine subsidence coverage is available from $5,000 to $1,000,000. Your home should be insured up to its replacement value plus 20% to cover losses to appurtenances and incidental costs. Residential coverage costs about 27 cents for every $1,000 of coverage. Use the premium calculator to estimate your premium. CONFIDENTIALITY OF NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION The Mine Subsidence Insurance (MSI) Fund does not disclose nonpublic personal financial information about its customers to nonaffiliated third parties except as permitted by law. This information includes your name, address, telephone number, email, Social Security number, date of birth, lender information, loan number, prior insurance information, status of property ownership, descriptions of your property's physical condition, information about insurance coverage payment, and informa- tion used to investigate and settle insurance claims. To safeguard your nonpublic personal financial information and to assure that only authorized MSI employees have access to it, the MSI Fund maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal and state regulations. MINE SUBSIDENCE, LOSS, AND COVERAGE Under the terms of the Mine Subsidence Insuring Agreement, mine subsidence refers to the movement of the ground surface as a result of the collapse of underground coal or clay mine workings, which refer to the roof, floor, or pillars within an underground coal or clay mine that are associated with the tunnels and voids that are made underground when coal and clay is extracted. A Mine Subsidence Insurance Policy covers damage caused by mine subsidence. Coverage also extends to losses that result from the movement of the ground surface resulting from a surface discharge due to a sudden and unexpected breakout of water, which is known as a mine water blowout. For further explanations of coverage, please refer to the Insuring Agreement (https://www.depgreenport.state.pa.us/elibrary/GetDocument?docId=1444609&DocName=INSURING%20AGREEMENT. PDF%20%20%3cspan%20style%3D%22color:blue%3b%22%3e%28NEW%29%3c/span%3e#). Mine subsidence features usually take the form of either sinkholes or troughs. Sinkhole subsidence is common in areas overlying shallow room-and-pillar mines. Sinkholes occur from the collapse of the mine roof into a mine opening, resulting in caving of the overlying strata and an abrupt depression in the ground surface. The majority of sinkholes usually develop where the amount of cover (vertical distance between the coal seam and the surface) is less than 50 feet. This type of subsidence is generally localized in extent, affecting a relatively small area on the overlying surface. However, structures and surface features affected by sinkhole subsidence tend to experience extensive and costly damages, sometimes in a dramatic fashion. Sinkhole subsidence has been responsible for extensive damage to numerous homes and property throughout the years. Sinkholes are typically associated with abandoned mine workings, since most active underground mines operate at depths sufficient to preclude the development of sinkhole subsidence. In accordance with the current regulations, the Department will not authorize underground mining beneath structures where the depth of overburden is less than 100 feet (30.5 m), unless the subsidence control plan demonstrates that proposed mine workings will be stable and that overlying structures will not suffer irreparable damage. Subsidence troughs induced by room-and-pillar mining can occur over active or abandoned mines. The resultant surface im- pacts and damages can be similar, however the mechanisms that trigger the subsidence are dramatically different. In abandoned mines, troughs usually occur when the overburden sags downward due to the failure of remnant mine pillars, or by punching of the pillars into a soft mine floor or roof. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict if or when failure in an abandoned mine might occur, since abandoned mines may collapse many decades after the mining is completed, if the mine workings were not designed to provide long-term support. To learn more about Mine Subsidence Insurance, please visit our FAQ page. Contact us at ra-epmsi@pa.gov or call 1-800-922-1678, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to speak to an MSI representative. Mine Subsidence Insurance WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 2324 | TALK MAGAZINE • FALL 2023 by John Wilborn “What’s the Name of the Game” "What's the Name of the Game" is he title of a song by a popular music group, "Abba" from Sweden. The Westinghouse Academy of Pittsburgh varsity football team might call the name of their 2023 game "unity, brotherhood, as well as victorious." As of October 11, 2023, the Bulldogs , whose team has their own section at the Heinz History Sports Center, have a 6 win - 0 Loss record. Going back cumulatively to 2022; 20 Wins - 1 Loss; and back to 2021, 30 Wins - 3 Losses. This year, their offense has, in six games, scored 200 points and the defense given up 51 , including 22 to Holli- daysburg, 100 miles away in Blair County. In his fourth season as Head Coach, Hed Coach Donta Green already has three Pittsburgh School Champion- ships. That's remarkable, considering Westinghouse’s legacy, dating back to 1946 of dominating the City League under coaches Ramon Robinson, Leroy Dillard, George Webb and notably Pete Dimperio. During the past four years Green has instituted his own brand of structure that makes team membership a cher- ished goal. In 2022, Westinghouse was the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Team of the Year, tallying 9 regular season victories, plus 5 Playoff wins, advancing to the State Championship Finals. Coach Green said "our coaching staff, (which includes the authoritative leadership of An- thony Walls, James Cowart and Joseph Tindal) has conversations through the school year with 9th and tenth graders about the essential nature of study and grade eligibility. If this doesn't happen, there's no point in talking to them about going to college." Westinghouse has 20 student athletes on the team roster who weigh more than 200 pounds each. The four heavy weights are: 5 feet 11 inches 290 pounds; 6 feet 2 inches 260 pounds; 6 feet 2 inches 220 pounds; and 6 feet 5 inches 250 pounds. Their 2023 season 28 - 0 vs Clairton 52 - 6 vs Perry Traditional 34 - 18 vs University Prep 20 - 2 vs Taylor Allderdice 36 - 7 vs Butler "We treat each team as a gray opponent", Coach Green said. "That way they're all the same, regardless of their individual rates of demonstrated productivity." WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 25Prioritizing Well-Being in the Healthcare Workforce Co-authors: Martha Davis, Reem Ghoneim, Gloria Gobah, Kevin Adjapong, Muzdalifa Syed 26 | TALK MAGAZINE • FALL 2023 Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Academy of Medicine found that burnout had reached “crisis levels” among the U.S. healthcare workforce, with 35% to 54% of nurses and physicians and 45% to 60% of medical students and residents reporting symptoms of burnout. 1 The pandemic, of course, exacerbated this existing crisis — and today, in health systems across the country, burnout continues to impact retention, reliance on contingency staffing, and increased medical leaves of ab- sence. In the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on building a thriving health workforce, researchers estimated that annual burnout-re- lated turnover costs are $9 billion for nurses and $2.6 billion to $6.3 billion for physicians. 2 These estimates don’t even include turnover among other types of health workers across the continuum of care. High levels of burnout have led to elevated risks of healthcare worker insomnia, heart disease, and diabetes; substance abuse, anxiety, and depression; relationship and interpersonal challenges; and overall feelings of physical and mental exhaustion. And these consequences clearly impact people beyond the healthcare workers themselves. Patients are faced with delays in care and diagnosis, along with an increased risk of medical errors, while health systems are experiencing reduced capacity and margin pressures. Research is increasingly showing that burnout is due to factors beyond the work environment. A Global Qualitative Nursing Research study found that personal issues such as family problems, personal or family health and wellness concerns, and child or elder care challenges can all contribute significantly to burnout — and all make it more difficult for employees to find balance at work and at home. Another factor contributing to the problem is the impact of rising inflation. The American Psychiatric Association found that up to 87% of Americans over the past year have been concerned about the impact of inflation and their ability to pay basic hous- ing, food, and healthcare costs.3 The impact of employee burnout on retention and operations requires organizations to invest in strategies that improve their ability to authentically care for and about their employees. This necessitates a genuine re-imagination of wellness and well-being benefits and development of more purposeful programs to support employees’ holistic needs. WELL-BEING AS A CRITICAL WORKFORCE STRATEGY An early phase of our redesign work at Guidehouse surrounding employee recruitment, retention, and experience includes empathy mapping with employees in high turnover roles. What we’ve found: While acknowledging that employers have elevated the impor- tance of well-being, many employees feel the programs and tactics offered have been limited, hard to access, and not designed to include what they value most. Using a combination of human-centered design and lean principles, we have partnered with client stakeholders — including human resources personnel, operational leaders, and frontline employees — to understand current offer- ings and practices, assess gaps and opportunities, and recommend improvements. As a starting point, we use a framework with these five must-have elements:Executive and Leader Sponsorship — One critical aspect of this work is for leaders at the top and throughout the organization to talk about the importance of employee, clinician, and leader well-being. This can include leaders sharing authentic personal stories of how they manage well-being and reinforcing that well-being spans their lives within and away from the workplace. It also means committing resources to the right well-being strategies, many of which are focused on initiatives such as healthy work- place culture, electronic health record and other technology improvements, employee assistance programs (EAPs), and flexible scheduling. Effective Structure and Ownership — This starts with a deep understand- ing of what employees most value and who owns how tactics are prioritized and deployed. We find that most clients have put well-intentioned efforts into programs that employees ultimately do not access. This is especially true for EAPs. In fact, Mental Health America — a community-based nonprofit that promotes mental health as a critical part of overall wellness — published a report noting that 98% of midsize to large companies offer EAPs, but only about 4% of employees use them each year. 4 A lack of understanding of EAPs and other well-being offerings, concerns about privacy, and general stigma for accessing help, further contribute to suppressed participation. And some employees have shared that they have low tolerance for participating if doing so means staying beyond normal work hours. An effective structure with clear owners and role clarity is key to prioritizing ease of access and alleviating privacy concerns. Relevant Solutions to All — Our listening and design work reveals that employees value flexible scheduling, financial fitness, child and elder care support, and longer-term educational and career development. As employees increasingly report feeling unseen and unheard, the desire for recognition and inclusion programs are frequently cited in our design work. These should be sponsored by multiple stakeholders and feel seamless, comprehensive, and personalized to individual employees. Solutions need to account for the wide range of needs found within today’s five-generation workforce. Communications and Technology Structure — Email and print commu- nications are insufficient for today’s employees, who often feel bombarded by email or unable to keep up with a constant flow of information. Nearly every function in a health system, hospital, or clinic can influence well-be- ing. Having heightened awareness of how new initiatives or policies impact workload, workflows, relationships, and efficiency is an everyday opportu- nity to increase well-being. Incorporating well-being as a recurring agenda item in leader and staff meetings can help ensure that it remains top of mind. And making communications accessible through multiple pathways, including mobile devices, is essential to increasing participation and buy-in. Wellness Metrics that Matter — Measuring the effectiveness of well-being initiatives is key to helping leaders gauge where to spend time and resources so that they can identify which programs are most impactful and endur- ing. Metrics can include results from employee engagement surveys about well-being and burnout, turnover rates, program utilization, and absence management. REDUCING STIGMA THROUGH WELL-BEING CHAMPION NETWORKS One successful redesign collaboration we’ve been involved with has centered on the development of a “well-being champion network” to foster peer-to-peer support and communication. Called “The Well-Being Cham- pions,” the network includes three to five employees (working across five locations) who are dedicated to: • Raising awareness of well-being activities • Challenging long-held concerns over the historical stigma associated with accessing mental health and well-being support • Building trust and showing compassion for challenges that co-workers are facing at home and at work • Collaborating with other network members to learn and adopt national best practices for well-being These champions will maintain a pulse on any concerns employees may have regarding their well-being and ensure that leaders and program advi- sors understand and respond to emerging priorities. WELCOMING EMPLOYEE COLLABORATION ON SOLUTIONS Although May 11, 2023, officially marked the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, healthcare organizations continue to struggle with the aftereffects on workforce burnout, staffing shortages, workloads, and other complicated challenges with no easy solutions. Workers are ready to hear and see that employers care about the impact of these issues on their well-being, and that they are leaning in on solutions. In our experience, employees want to be a part of the redesign. Including them is the optimal way to develop and accelerate programs that best meet the diverse well-being needs of hardworking employees, both at work and at home. __________________________________________________________ 1 HealthLeaders. n.d. “Expert: Healthcare Worker Burnout Trending in Alarming Direction.” Www. healthleadersmedia.com. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/expert-healthcare-work- er-burnout-trending-alarming-direction. 2 “Health Worker Burnout — Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General.” 2022. Www.hhs.gov. 2022. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/health-worker-burnout/index.html. 3 “Psychiatry.org - Americans Anxious over Inflation; Almost Twice More Likely to Lean on Family and Friends than Speak.” n.d. Www.psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Re- leases/Americans-Anxious-Over-Inflation-Almost-Twice-Mor. 4 “How Can We Promote Our EAP to Increase Its Usage?” n.d. Mental Health America. https://mhan- ational.org/how-can-we-promote-our-eap-increase-its-usage. Healthcare leaders must reimagine wellness and well-being benefits and develop more purposeful programs to support employees’ holistic needs. WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 27Next >