Branham athletic director saga: Landon Jacobs’ fight for old job hits another roadblock
SAN JOSE – Former Branham athletic director Landon Jacobs is running out of options to get his job back.
Jacobs, whose dismissal in March sparked outrage at the San Jose school, revealed on Tuesday that the district’s human resources department said he could not be considered a candidate.
He had reapplied for the position on April 5.
“I got a response from HR last week saying that they weren’t going to process my application because of the collective bargaining agreement,” Jacobs told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday. “I don’t know what they’re referring to, but I haven’t gotten a response back yet.”
Supporters of the popular AD filed a formal complaint last month to the Campbell Union High School District Board of Trustees, calling for the removal of Branham principal Lindsay Schubert and for Jacobs and assistant athletic director Heather Cooper to be reinstated.
Even with the response from HR, Jacobs said he could be reinstated if the allegations in the formal complaint against Schubert are found to be credible by the school board.
Branham appears to be moving quickly to find a new AD.
Sources close to the situation told the Bay Area News Group that the school has narrowed its pool of candidates to replace Jacobs and conducted interviews as recently as Monday. A new athletic director could be announced this week, the sources said.
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The next school board meeting is Thursday.
At the April 18 board meeting, Jacobs’ supporters revealed that they had filed a public records request to access all written communication and emails between superintendent Robert Bravo, Schubert, and members of the board regarding Jacobs’ situation. They also requested details from any investigation into allegations that the former athletic director mishandled funds. The request was filed on April 10.
According to the California Public Records Act, the board had 10 calendar days to release the correspondence or provide an explanation why it cannot meet the request.
The board responded by formally requesting for an extension, sources said.
Jacobs said that while he remains hopeful that he’ll get his old job back, his search for a new one could start when the school year ends in June.
“There definitely needs to be a timeline here,” Jacobs said. “The day after graduation is my last. So, that would be a point where I need to start looking at other options pretty seriously.”
Two weeks after his dismissal, Jacobs turned down an offer to be reassigned to another school in the district, Del Mar, to teach history, his credentialed subject.
If Branham were to hire a new athletic director, some amends will have to be made with the school’s athletic boosters, sources said.
Since Jacobs took over the job 14 years ago, he has built a strong relationship with boosters who have helped fundraise for Branham sports teams.
Many in leadership roles within the booster club have organized efforts to reinstate Jacobs, and sources said it’s possible the new AD might not receive the same support.
“That’s not out of the realm of possibilities,” said one booster, who asked to remain anonymous. “Anything is on the table right now.”