HERMANN – In a move that effectively puts an end to an effort to have soccer added to the Gasconade County R-1 District’s roster of varsity sports, a divided school board Thursday night hearkened back to a board stance that made the addition of soccer a numbers game.

Unfortunately for the parents lobbying to have soccer teams for boys and girls, the number contained in the conditions adopted by the board back in 2021 and reaffirmed Thursday night by the current Board of Directors will take a long time — if ever — to reach.

In a 4-3 vote, the R-1 board during its regular monthly session last week reaffirmed the earlier board decision that contained three provisions for making soccer part of the varsity sports offerings. The key provision is that enrollment in Hermann High School be at least 400.

As soccer advocate Kacie Ulhorn said after the board session was adjourned, the city of Hermann would need a population of about 10,000 residents to ensure a high school enrollment of 400. A few minutes earlier, Ulhorn had been given five minutes to speak in favor of adding soccer. At last month’s board meeting, Ulhorn and other soccer parents renewed their plea to add the sport part of the varsity extracurricular offerings.

“This conversation started in December,” Ulhorn said, noting the first time supporters approached the district about the sport. “I’m here today to ask you to move forward with a soccer program for both boys and girls,” she said.

But the arguments raised last month against adding soccer were voiced again Thursday night. Director Dot Schoening again argued that the district would be hard-pressed to take on the expense of another varsity sport at a time when the administration felt the need to present a deficit budget out of concerns over reduced state and federal funding — and the district’s continuing enrollment slide.

The issue of how to finance a soccer program also was a source of concern for some directors who said they were uncomfortable with the students going to the community’s businesses and residents asking for help.

“I personally am not in favor of asking the community” for donations, Schoening said. “I think our community gets bombarded with that. I’m not excited about that,” she added.

Director Amy Grannemann noted, “My personal opinion is if they could get the funding, I’m good with it.”

Like Schoening, Director Mark Brooks was opposed to fund-raising efforts to field soccer teams.

“I feel very uncomfortable” with asking for donations. Brooks added that supporters’ claim of already having secured pledges of $40,000 to fund a program “seems like they are trying to force the board’s hand” to make a decision on the proposal.

A former administrator and veteran school board member, Brooks suggested a better course of action would be for soccer supporters to take part in club soccer program. That way, he said, support for soccer by the public and among the students could be measured.

But board President Jessica Armstrong, a supporter of the soccer proposal, replied that being part of a club soccer program would mean the Hermann team or teams would have to travel an entire season in order to compete. “We’d have to travel to St. Louis every single time,” she said.

Dawn Grosse, one of the board’s two new members, said, “I would love the opportunity” to offer soccer. However, she added, “I feel that if we can’t replace teachers” the district would be hard-pressed to begin offering soccer. “I don’t know that we would be good stewards” of the taxpayer’s money, she said.

“I agree with that 100 percent,” said Schoening. “That’s exactly how I feel,” she added.

Schoening offered the motion to reaffirm the position taken by the board in 2021, setting conditions for the addition of soccer to the sports roster. The vote was 4-3 in favor with Schoening joined by Brooks, Mark Engemann and Grosse. Voting against the motion were Grannemann, Chad Walton and Armstrong.