Soccer won't be returning to the Wright City R-II School District anytime soon. A vote to add the sport failed during the school board's regular monthly meeting held last Thursday, May 21. Board members Corri Ruge, Mary Groeper, Gina Allen and Melissa Springmeyer voted against adding soccer. Laura Marsh, Austin Jones and Alice Klem voted in favor of adding the high school program. Citing 100 student surveys requesting a boys and girls soccer programs, Marsh presented the case in favor of soccer to the board. She estimated such a program would cost the district approximately $20,000 initially. Marsh advocated a simple program funded largely by community support and fundraising. "I don't think anyone is expecting to start out at a really high level. The kids just want the opportunity to play for their school," Marsh said. Klem agreed, "I would love to see soccer at the high school." However, other board members had reservations about starting any new sports program at this time. Foremost among board members concerns was the question of finances. "In this economic climate it's very difficult to raise funds and I just don't see that as being a valid argument right now," Ruge said. With respect to district money, Groeper noted that funds are not currently available. She also asserted that all school-sponsored programs deserved equal opportunity for success. "I think we're closer, with the passage of the tax levy to maintain our fields and improve our programs we're closer, but we're not there yet," Groeper said. Springmeyer agreed with Groeper. "I cannot support starting a new program when we have programs for which we're just now starting to get fields to a basic level that will still not be up to par with the surrounding areas," Springmeyer said. She also cited recent cutbacks in faculty and staff. "We are here first and foremost to educate the students, so to cut back teacher positions and to add a new sport, to me, is a slap in the face to every teacher that we have on staff," Springmeyer said. She also described cuts in educational programs for next year and mentioned other sports currently unavailable at Wright City. "Wrestling is a huge sport, we don't have that either. We cannot have all the sports; we cannot afford all the sports," Springmeyer said. Although he supports adding a soccer program, Jones recognized the difficulty of the district's current financial position. "We are deficit spending," Jones said. "I think we should have a soccer program, but the point is we cannot continue deficit spending to cover the costs of the program."