NEW BERLIN – Citing his desire to coach football again, Unadilla Valley School Board Vice-President Stanley Foulds is relinquishing his seat on the board to become the new head varsity football coach.

Foulds, who has served on the board for over a decade, has 30 years of coaching experience on the Pop Warner level. When the head football job was posted in January of this year, Foulds made the decision to apply knowing that if he was hired, he would have to cede his position on the school board. “It was a really huge choice and a tough decision,” Foulds said of his choice to resign. “I think what it came down to is that I really missed coaching football. I’ve been out of it for two years, and I’m excited to get back into it. I think I can do a lot of great things.”

Foulds said he offered his assistance to the UV football program as a volunteer the past few years, and he was a volunteer assistant coach approximately a decade ago under former coach Frank Johnson. He was one of many applicants for the job, and after the interview process was completed by Unadilla Valley superintendent Robert Mackey, Foulds received Mackey’s recommendation to the district’s board of education.

“Before we even had a budget, (Stan) told us he was interested in the job,” Mackey said, “but at that point in the process, we were still wrangling with the question of if we were going to have any sports in the coming school year.”

The district adopted a $19,614,309 budget for 2010-2011 with no increase in the local tax levy. The board’s proposed budget represented a 3.15 percent reduction in spending from last year, and includes around $638,443 in reduced expenditures.

The budget also included the elimination of nearly 20 positions and provides no funding to several sports programs. Foulds was also elected at the time to a new term in the school board ballot.

The school reduced sports salary spending by $74,790 in the passed budget, from $155,402 last year to $80,612 in the coming school year. The school’s junior varsity programs were cut completely and the district has adopted a new status with grades 7-9 participating in a Modified-A team, and grades 10-12 playing varsity.