Branham athletic director saga: Principal accepts job at another school
Dismissed athletic director Landon Jacobs: ‘Time will tell if the new developments will impact the new AD position’
SAN JOSE — The principal in the middle of the firestorm that led to Landon Jacobs losing his job as Branham High’s athletic director is leaving the San Jose school.
Lindsay Schubert has been hired as an assistant principal at Los Gatos High, effective July 1, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District announced at its board meeting on Tuesday.
Schubert has been under fire by the Branham community for her role in Jacobs and assistant athletic director Heather Cooper being removed from their positions.
Jacobs was dismissed this spring, Cooper last fall.
Schubert did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
Supporters of the athletic administrators filed a formal complaint last month to the district office, alleging that Schubert fostered a culture that did not support high school sports and called for her dismissal. The complaint also demanded that Jacobs and Cooper be reinstated to their roles in Branham’s athletic department.
Campbell Union High School District superintendent Robert Bravo had 30 days to formally address the complaint, which was filed April 4, in order for any of the allegations to be added to a school board agenda.
He submitted a response this week, sources close to the situation said.
“Yes, we received the response, and it essentially very lightly touches on the Cooper and Landon issues and is sufficient in some areas and extremely insufficient (in) others with regard to the rest of the responses,” a source who was among the group that filed the complaint said in a text message.
Jacobs and his supporters have been waiting to see if details in the complaint will convince the school board to change its mind about the dismissals of Branham’s athletic leaders.
Schubert’s departure could shake up the situation.
“Time will tell if the new developments will impact the new AD position,” Jacobs told the Bay Area News Group in a text message on Wednesday.
Some of Jacobs’ supporters suggested that he should apply for Schubert’s position as principal. But Jacobs, who amid the ongoing saga was voted Branham’s Teacher of the Year by his peers last month, said that is unlikely.
“My passion is educationally-based athletics,” Jacobs said. “My hope is that Branham gets an outstanding principal that can effectively meet the needs of our students and the Branham community.”
Schubert is in her second school year at Branham after previously being an assistant principal at Del Mar.
In announcing her hiring at Los Gatos, that school district’s assistant superintendent, Heath Rocha, said during this week’s board meeting, “Lindsay has vast experience in education and leadership, including beginning her teaching career at Los Gatos High School in 2003.”
Jacobs’ situation has led to his supporters passionately speaking in his defense at the past three Campbell Union school board meetings.
Last week, those who spoke included: Jacobs’ wife and Branham girls water polo coach Brittney Ames; his ex-wife Lisa Jacobs; former Branham girls basketball coach Heather Queyrel and members of the Branham sports community.
Jacobs reapplied for his old position last month but was told recently by a district HR officer that he was not eligible to be a candidate because of rules in the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement.
Jacobs’ supporters believe he could get his old job back if the school board trustees agree to address the complaint’s allegations and rule that he was unjustly dismissed.
The supporters also are awaiting a response from their April 10 public records request for access to all written communication and emails between Bravo, Schubert and members of the board about the athletic director situation, including any investigation into allegations that Jacobs and Cooper mishandled funds.
“The Branham community intends to continue to fight this, show up to support Landon when he receives his Teacher of the Year award at the next board meeting and push for transparency in every aspect of this unjust firing,” a source said in an email Wednesday to the Bay Area News Group.