A Guide for Creating a Citizens' Academy
City of Kissimmee School of Government Planning Guide
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Table of Contents
I. General
1. Duration of Program
2. Program Requirements
3. Selection of Participants
4. Fees & Attendance
II. Materials
II. Budget
IV. Schedule & Itinerary
V. Session Details
1. General
2. Meeting Locations & Transportation
3. Graduation
4. Evaluations
VI. Logistics
1. Catering
2. Room Set-up
3. Decorations/Theme
VI. Media
1. Promotion
2. Photos/Video
VI. Appendices
Appendix: A. Pre-Registration Form
Appendix: B. Non-Resident Letter
Appendix: C. Registration Letter
Appendix: D. Registration Form
Appendix: E. Welcome Folder Letter
Appendix: F. Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix: G. Budget
Appendix: H. Itinerary
Appendix: I. Agenda
Appendix: J. Graduation Certificate
Appendix: K. Evaluation Form
Appendix: L. Room Set-up
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I. General
1. Duration of Program
School of Government is an 11-week program that is held on Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. from February through May.
2. Program Requirements
The city requires participants to live or own a business inside the limits of Kissimmee. Residents submit a pre-registration form, which is available on the city's Web site, resident newsletter, newspaper ads, or through the Public Information Office.
Once the form is submitted to the Public Information Office, the applicant’s address is verified to determine if it falls within the city limits. If the residency is confirmed, the citizen’s name is added to a pre-registration list in the order the form was received. If the applicant is not a city resident, a letter is sent notifying them that they are not eligible to participate in the program.
Please refer to Appendix: A for a sample Pre-Registration Form.
Please refer to Appendix: B for a sample Non-Resident Letter.
3. Selection of Participants
The city's inaugural class was selected by the City Commission and administration. Most of these residents were already involved in the community or were frequent visitors to City Hall. This group provided the city with candid feedback about the program.
Each class is limited to 30 participants on a first-come-first-serve basis. In December, a letter along with a registration form is sent to each of the first 30 residents on the pre-registration list.
Please refer to Appendix: C for a sample Registration Letter.
Please refer to Appendix: D for a sample Registration Form.
If the registration form is not returned by the date specified in the letter, a follow-up call is made to verify the applicant’s interest in participating. If the citizen decides not to participate or there is no contact made, the person is replaced with the next resident on the list.
4. Fees & Attendance
The program is offered free-of-charge. For this reason, the city has implemented an attendance requirement. Residents are allowed to miss a maximum of two of the 11 sessions.
Participants are required to sign-in at the beginning of each session and a head count is taken. This helps to keep track of each participant’s attendance record throughout the program.
II. Materials
The city provides each student with a polo-style shirt, embroidered with both the City of Kissimmee logo and the School of Government logo. This shirt is meant to be worn for each class session.
Class members are also given name tags and a welcome folder containing the schedule and itinerary for the program, along with a list of answers to the frequently asked questions.
Please refer to Appendix: E for a sample Welcome Folder Letter.
Please refer to Appendix: F for a sample Frequently Asked Questions.
Dinner is provided at the beginning of each session, catered by local vendors.
Give-away items are purchased by the Public Information Office for each department. One item per participant is provided. The give-away items are selected to coordinate with each department’s duties and/or the activities they present for their session. For example, a high-tech mouse pad for the IT Department, robotic calculator for Finance, tool kits for Central Services, gardening kits for Parks & Recreation, etc. These items feature the city logo.
For graduation, each participant is presented with a framed certificate.
II. Budget
A budget of $18,000 is allocated for this program. The actual total amount spent weighs heavily on the cost of give-away items, transportation and catering.
Please refer to Appendix: G for a sample Budget table.
IV. Schedule & Itinerary
A program schedule stating the dates and departments for each session is included in the registration letter, which is mailed to each participant with his or her registration form prior to the first session. A full itinerary is provided to the participants in the welcome folders they receive upon signing in at the first session.
Please refer to Appendix: C for a sample Registration Letter.
Please refer to Appendix: H for a sample Itinerary.
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V. Session Details
1. General
Each department provides the agendas for their individual session.
Please refer to Appendix: I for a sample Agenda.
The sessions should focus on being as interactive and hands-on as possible. Usually general employees make the presentations and/or demonstrate equipment, instead of the department directors. The residents enjoy seeing the pride that employees take in their daily tasks, their equipment and work areas. However, it is also impressive to the residents when commissioners and top administrators attend the sessions each week.
2. Meeting Locations & Transportation
The participants meet at the session locations, unless otherwise specified. For sessions located at a greater distance, transportation (via a mini bus) is provided. In such cases, participants meet at City Hall to board the bus and travel together to the session location.
Please refer to Appendix: H for a sample Itinerary.
3. Graduation
The graduation ceremony takes place in the Commission Chambers at Kissimmee City Hall. Each class member is encouraged to bring one guest and each city department is invited to send one representative. The mayor and commissioners also attend.
Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by a special presentation that includes a photo montage of their 11-week experience. Following the video montage, the class has an opportunity to ask the city manager questions about city matters. Residents are also encouraged to apply for city advisory boards and volunteer committees. Applications are distributed to graduates prior to their departure.
Following the question-and-answer session, students are called up one-by-one to receive their graduation certificate signed by the city manager. A photo is taken of each participant holding their certificate plaque standing with the city manager and city commissioners.
Please refer to Appendix: J for a sample Graduation Certificate.
4. Evaluations
Evaluations are given to the residents at the beginning of each class. This is an opportunity for them to rate their experience and provide comments. Evaluations are turned in at the end of each class, offering the Public Information Office feedback on everything from food to the level of interest in the presentations.
Please refer to Appendix: K for a sample Evaluation Form.
VI. Logistics
1. Catering
Dinner is provided for each session. Catering usually consists of a buffet with a hot entrée, salad, sides, drinks and dessert. $500 is budgeted for each session, except for the first session (City Hall session) and the last session (graduation).
For the first and last sessions, $750 is budgeted for each. The larger budget allows for the extra meals required for invited guests. Also, a fancier menu selection is typically selected for the graduation dinner.
2. Room Set-Up
Tables and chairs are set up for dinner at each session. Staff is encouraged to sit with the participants to engage in conversation with them while eating dinner.
Please refer to Appendix: L for a sample Room Set-up.
3. Decorations/Theme
It is not necessary to have a theme for the program. However, a theme does help the program to become more fun and allows for creativity from the departments.
If a theme is applied, try to carry it through out all of the elements of the program from decorations to activities and even the catering.
VI. Media
1. Promotion
Promotion for the program is done using several methods: the city's resident newsletter (Kissimmee Konnection), the city's 32-page citizens’ guide (Kissimmee Insider), press releases, city's Web site (www.kissimmee.org), the city's government access TV channel (Access Osceola) and newspaper ads.
2. Photos/Video
A waiver statement is included in the registration form and must be signed.
Photos are taken during each session and later used on the city’s Web site and in print to promote the program.
Video is also taken at several of the sessions and featured in the video montage, which airs on the city’s government access TV channel. This video is also given to each participant at graduation as a souvenir of their experiences in the program.
Please refer to Appendix: D for a sample Registration Form.
VI. Appendices
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