Branham athletics saga: Board votes against hearing complaint supporting dismissed AD

SAN JOSE — After weeks of drama, the Branham High School athletics saga could be coming to an end.

On a night in which school board members formally recognized Landon Jacobs for being named Branham’s Teacher of the Year, the same board unanimously voted on Thursday not to take action on a complaint that called for the longtime athletic director to be reinstated to the job he lost this spring.

The complaint also demanded the reinstatement of associated student body bookkeeper Heather Cooper, who worked closely with Jacobs and lost her job last fall. Cooper is also the school’s volleyball coach and remained in that capacity.

Superintendent Robert Bravo submitted his formal response to the complaint on May 1. According to sources, the Campbell Union High School District leader ruled that the complaint did not provide enough evidence to meet its personnel requests.

The complaint also called for principal Lindsay Schubert’s removal, but she will be leaving anyway on July 1 to become an assistant principal at Los Gatos, a move announced last week.

The authors of the complaint filed an appeal to Bravo’s response to the CUHSD Board of Trustees on Monday, but the board’s unanimous vote on Thursday means the matter won’t be discussed at future meetings.

For the first time since he was removed from his position in March, Jacobs addressed the board on Thursday during time set aside for public comments.

“You’ve witnessed the power of the Branham community, their passion for the school and one another,” said Jacobs, who was emotional during his speech. “In 20 years, I provided the Branham community with the opportunity to be the best version of themselves. … I had hoped that our distinguished trustees would follow the contractual process and that I would be given the opportunity to continue to serve the Branham community.”

Jacobs’ supporters would still like clarification from the board about why it voted the way it did.

The board’s discussion about Jacobs was in a closed session.

When the board returned to the open session, its president, Jason Baker, only revealed the results of the vote.

Approximately an hour later, Jacobs and about a half-dozen supporters spoke about the matter during public comments. His supporters had also made passionate addresses to the board at three previous meetings.

“Is the dismissal of Landon a dismantling of athletics and activities, and a way to turn away students and save money? If so, congrats, it’s working,” former Branham girls basketball coach Heather Queyrel said in her address Thursday night. “I know of over 30 parents and growing who are rethinking sending their kids to Branham due to this injustice, and if not corrected, will actively campaign against any bond measure.”

Added Mark Connolly, a Branham sports booster, “I do understand the action you’ve taken, and I think it’s wrong. The board can’t just not hear the appeal.”

While Jacobs, Cooper, and CUHSD have not publicly explained why the personnel changes were made, the formal complaint filed in April to the district office revealed that the Branham employees were accused of misappropriating Associated Student Body funds and not following financial policies after a district audit for the 2022-23 school year.

Branham has continued its search for a new athletic director despite requests from some community members to pause because of the appeal.

“Landon Jacobs is our last leader left at Branham,” said Barbara Bandanza, the school’s incoming sports booster co-president. “It feels like we have been incredibly disrespected. We haven’t heard from the district, the superintendent, the district office and the board in any public forum as to what is really going on.

“It just feels like what these people have done for the last month is being completely ignored, and that is completely disappointing as a parent.”

Cooper, who coaches Branham’s boys and girls volleyball teams, is still hopeful that she will be reinstated to her bookkeeping job. She told the Bay Area News Group that a decision should be made by June 1.

On Thursday, Chris Von Barloewen, a Branham football player, defended Cooper while speaking to the board.

“It would truly be a mistake to remove her from her current position,” Von Barloewen said. “She has such a great impact on students and really cares while many people in her position don’t.”