Principal Kevin Browne of Kingdom Christian Academy didn't have time to learn National School Choice Week's official dance this year.
But the current political climate around school choice has him dancing on the inside.
"We like the way the wave is breaking, and we're really looking forward to what can be provided for families," he said Tuesday.
KCA, with an enrollment of 112 this year, is Fulton's only pre-kindergarten through 12th grade private Christian school. This is the school's first year celebrating National School Choice Week, which runs through Saturday and includes more than 30,000 events nationwide.
The NSCW website describes the week as "the world's largest annual celebration of activity in education." Organizers describe the week as a nonpartisan, nonpolitical effort to raise awareness for all schooling options: public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling.
KCA and St. Peter School, a Catholic school also in Fulton, are both listed as celebrating NSCW on the NSCW website.
"I think there are choices for families to make, and it's important to celebrate the fact and publicize the fact that families do have a choice," said Teri Arms, principal at St. Peter, which will also celebrate Catholic School Week next week.
None of the county's public schools are listed.
Complicated issue
While the concept of school choice might be relatively nonpolitical, that broad category contains many political issues.
For example, there's the controversy over school vouchers. Some states, such as Indiana, have voucher programs allowing parents to apply a set amount of federally funded money toward a private school's tuition.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has often stated she strongly supports school vouchers, and chaired the American Federation for Children - a school choice advocacy group. Until January 2017, AFC was listed on the NSCW's website as a partner, though the partner page has since been removed.
However, others fear funding voucher programs will take taxpayer money away from public schools and funnel it towards private schools.
Critics include U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, of Missouri.
"DeVos has focused on one goal when it comes to education - robbing public schools of resources in order to boost private schools," McCaskill said in a January 2017 press release. "I don't think she even understands that in rural Missouri, there is no choice of private schools. So her plan would rob rural public schools and shift that money to private schools in more urban areas."
Others have concerns about taxpayer dollars going to schools that don't face the same level of accountability, both academically and financially.
Superintendent Jacque Cowherd of the Fulton 58 School District pointed out his district faces annual audits, and students take standardized tests to make sure they're meeting learning goals. Open since 1994, this is the first year every KCA student will take a standardized test - although these aren't state standardized tests.
Currently, Missouri doesn't offer any programs that provide tax funding to allow children to attend private schools. However, the political climate - both in Missouri and nationally - is shifting.
Browne likes the direction he sees it moving.
"We were really excited to see 529 accounts being available for kindergarten through 12th grade," he said.
Missourians may use up to $10,000 per student of funds stored in MOST 529 plans for education without facing state tax consequences. Formerly, that money could only be applied to college tuition. That changed this year thanks to new tax law.
"We like seeing that because it provides opportunities for parents to have their kids in Christian, quality schools," Browne said. "Even though we keep our tuition as low as possible, some parents can't afford private schooling. This way, the money follows the child instead of the child following the money."
Arms expressed some reservations about publicly funding private schools.
"I would just like for us to not be penalized for the choices we make," she said. "I spent a long time in the public schools, so I have mixed feelings about the state totally funding private schools."
She said she'd like to see more flexible sharing of resources between public and private schools.
"I teach math," she said. "Let's just say I need an upper-level math book for one child. Could I borrow it from the district?"
In 2017, the Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 313, which would have established a way for people to make donations to educational assistance organizations and receive tax credits in return. That donated, untaxed money wouldn't be available to fund public schools.
The educational assistance organizations would then, in turn, provide scholarships in the form of education savings accounts to qualifying parents. These ESAs could be applied to private school tuition.
Though SB 313 died before becoming law, Gov. Eric Greitens has voiced support for similar programs in other states.
Public and private
Browne said he thinks the potential for public funds going to private schools might be a good motivating force for public schools to up their game.
"I would just say to public schools that competition (in academic achievement) makes everyone better," he said. "And we're happy to be the competition."
Some don't see a rivalry. Several area public school administrators said that broadly speaking, they support school choice. The difficulty is in how that choice is achieved.
"I think parents should have the right to choose," said Kevin Hillman, superintendent of South Callaway R-2. "Inside of that, when we talk about school choice - man, is that a wide range of thought."
He said he hadn't heard of NSCW before; Cowherd said he is vaguely familiar with it.
"The people making choices in this community are typically making those choices based on their faith," he said. "They have a strong belief that a religious education is (right for) their child."
Cowherd said while Fulton 58 has little contact with KCA, the district works more closely with St. Peter. That school's students typically transfer to Fulton High School in ninth grade. St. Peter and FHS coordinate curricula, he said.
"During the summer, some St. Peter teachers join us for professional development," he added.
While he supports school choice in a general sense, there's only so much money to go around.
Cowherd pointed out this year was the first time in several years Missouri public schools received their full portion of funding from the state.
"As a public school, we recognize that parents have other options to educate their children," added Sarah Wisdom, superintendent at New Bloomfield R-3. "We are honored and take great responsibility when we are the school of choice. As a public school administrator, I will add that a level playing field and equal funding is all we ask."