Jim Monde
Born in New Haven, James W. M. Monde is a life-long resident of the greater New Haven area. After receiving a B.A. in Economics from Yale in 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served for two years as an instructor in basic electronics at The Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Upon his return to Connecticut, in 1957 Jim founded The American Specialty Company in Shelton, a manufacturer of precision springs and metal components for industrial customers, of which he continues as owner and president to the present. His work-related affiliations include having served as President of the New England Spring Manufacturers Association (Bristol, Conn.; 1976-78), National Affairs Chairman of the Spring Manufacturers' Institute (Chicago, Ill.; 1978- 82), and chairman of the Washington-based Alliance of Metalworking Industries (1978-80).
Moving to Branford in 1971, Jim Monde didn't take long to get involved in the schools; and he served as President of the Pine Orchard School PTA from 1974 to 1975. He served on the Citizens' Committee on Special Education from 1975 to 1977, and in 1976 he added to his activities the Citizens' Committee on the Future of the Eades Street School. Originally built as a high school in 1935, the building later housed grades 7-12, and then became a junior high school when the new high school on East Main Street was completed. Since the opening of the Intermediate School in 1972, the building had been vacant; and with the increasing enrollment at the elementary grades and the inefficiency of continuing to operate multiple small elementary schools, there was considerable discussion about renovating the Eades Street facility.
When the time came to present its findings, Jim was chosen to deliver to the Board of Education the final report of the Eades Street School Committee. At that 1977 meeting, his college classmate and good friend, Art Lombard, announced his resignation from the Board and recommended Jim as his replacement. And the rest, as they say, is history. Jim not only served the remaining two years of that term but was also later reelected to the Board twice, in 1979 and 1985, and chaired that body from 1987 to 1989.
Jim came to the Board at a point in Branford's history that was not the best of times in the educational community. Morale in the school system was low; contract negotiations were frequently long and bitter; internal wrangling only added to the disarray. Through it all Jim remained quietly but firmly focused on the business at hand: the education of Branford's students. Superintendents (three of them) came and went during his time on the Board. The political balance of the Board shifted. Yet whether seated on the minority side or the majority side, Jim remained non-political, holding steadfastly to the conviction that the welfare of the students and the quality of their education came above all else. In fact some of us seem to recall that, during his time as Chairman, there were no "sides." Members of both parties happily intermingled, worked hard and long in a spirit of collaboration, and held the business of education higher than party affiliation.
The issue of increasing elementary-level enrollment did not vanish with the opening of Sliney School. The latter part of Jim's service on the Board devoted a great deal of energy to exploring options that would be long-term solutions and that would bring the schools into parity, with each having equivalent facilities and comparable staffing- including full-time principals. The research, recommendations, and the Board's directives led to the three elementary schools our students enjoy today.
Board members who served with Jim consider it a privilege to have done so. Always a gentle man who respected others, Jim quickly earned the respect of his colleagues on the Board. He listened respectfully to the positions of others and put forth his own opinions with the quiet dignity that is bred of deep conviction. Above all else, Jim was a consensus-builder. It really mattered to him that every one had a fair hearing and that there was honest and open discussion of the issues. Without question, Jim Monde is a true exemplar of public service.
Moving to Branford in 1971, Jim Monde didn't take long to get involved in the schools; and he served as President of the Pine Orchard School PTA from 1974 to 1975. He served on the Citizens' Committee on Special Education from 1975 to 1977, and in 1976 he added to his activities the Citizens' Committee on the Future of the Eades Street School. Originally built as a high school in 1935, the building later housed grades 7-12, and then became a junior high school when the new high school on East Main Street was completed. Since the opening of the Intermediate School in 1972, the building had been vacant; and with the increasing enrollment at the elementary grades and the inefficiency of continuing to operate multiple small elementary schools, there was considerable discussion about renovating the Eades Street facility.
When the time came to present its findings, Jim was chosen to deliver to the Board of Education the final report of the Eades Street School Committee. At that 1977 meeting, his college classmate and good friend, Art Lombard, announced his resignation from the Board and recommended Jim as his replacement. And the rest, as they say, is history. Jim not only served the remaining two years of that term but was also later reelected to the Board twice, in 1979 and 1985, and chaired that body from 1987 to 1989.
Jim came to the Board at a point in Branford's history that was not the best of times in the educational community. Morale in the school system was low; contract negotiations were frequently long and bitter; internal wrangling only added to the disarray. Through it all Jim remained quietly but firmly focused on the business at hand: the education of Branford's students. Superintendents (three of them) came and went during his time on the Board. The political balance of the Board shifted. Yet whether seated on the minority side or the majority side, Jim remained non-political, holding steadfastly to the conviction that the welfare of the students and the quality of their education came above all else. In fact some of us seem to recall that, during his time as Chairman, there were no "sides." Members of both parties happily intermingled, worked hard and long in a spirit of collaboration, and held the business of education higher than party affiliation.
The issue of increasing elementary-level enrollment did not vanish with the opening of Sliney School. The latter part of Jim's service on the Board devoted a great deal of energy to exploring options that would be long-term solutions and that would bring the schools into parity, with each having equivalent facilities and comparable staffing- including full-time principals. The research, recommendations, and the Board's directives led to the three elementary schools our students enjoy today.
Board members who served with Jim consider it a privilege to have done so. Always a gentle man who respected others, Jim quickly earned the respect of his colleagues on the Board. He listened respectfully to the positions of others and put forth his own opinions with the quiet dignity that is bred of deep conviction. Above all else, Jim was a consensus-builder. It really mattered to him that every one had a fair hearing and that there was honest and open discussion of the issues. Without question, Jim Monde is a true exemplar of public service.