SAN JOSE – Landon Jacobs, who presided over a successful sports program at Branham High School for more than a decade, was relieved of his duties this month as a full-time athletic director for reasons he said have not been explained to him.
He has been reassigned to another school within the Campbell Union High School District, Del Mar, to teach history, his credentialed subject. He hasn’t told the district whether he will accept the new position.
Branham Principal Lindsay Schubert, in an email to the Bay Area News Group on Friday afternoon, wrote, “I understand the concern some in the community have about the decision to change Branham’s athletic director. It is a decision that I did not make lightly, and one that required that I take into account all of the facts.
“Although I cannot share any details, as this is a personnel matter, I can share that I stand by my decision, and look forward to welcoming a new athletic director to Branham High School.”
The Branham community is seeking answers for why an athletic director whose teams consistently contend for league and section championships was removed from his position.
The decision to dismiss Jacobs from his athletic director position, one he has held for 14 years, has sparked outrage in the Branham athletic community and led to a change.org petition to reinstate the administrator.
The petition had nearly met its goal of 1,000 signatures by Friday afternoon.
Jacobs’ supporters plan to voice their displeasure about his reassignment at a school board meeting on Thursday.
Former Branham golf coach Greg Rockwell, in a comment on the change.org petition page, wrote: “As a former athlete alum & head coach at Branham High School, I believe that Landon Jacob’s is a huge piece of why BHS has risen from the ashes over the years. “His leadership (not only as an AD, but as a coach, teacher and overall beacon of hope for the community) is something that should be taught as an example of what ‘as close to perfect’ can be like to the surrounding communities.”
Given that Jacobs is a tenured teacher, the district could not simply fire him, said Jacobs’ wife, Brittney Ames, who coaches girls water polo at Branham. She added that the school found a loophole to reassign her husband.
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Athletic directors in the Campbell district are classified as Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA). According to Ames, there are no restrictions that prevent athletic directors from being displaced to fill teaching needs within the district.
Jacobs said he doesn’t know what the future holds for him. He isn’t sure he will accept the move to Del Mar.
“It’s very fresh and new right now,” Jacobs said. “There’s just a lot of thought and consideration that has to go into it. I don’t have that answer right now.”