5/20/03 -- The Three Lakes, Wis., school district has a treasure no other district in Wisconsin or perhaps the United States can claim: A school board member who has served for 54 consecutive years.
John "Jack" C. Olkowski was nominated for the post of board treasurer in 1949 and has been re-elected ever since. At age 82, he thinks it's time to retire before becoming "any kind of burden."
Community service runs in the Olkowski family. His father John was on the Three Lakes board from 1929 until his death in 1934. His mother Gladys was appointed in her husband's place and served until 1942.
Olkowski was happy to accept the job because he had developed a keen interest in education and confidence in his abilities as a certified public accountant.
"He had comprehensive knowledge of every law and accounting procedure required of school districts, and his audits often discovered mistakes that he and the district learned from," says George Karling, superintendent of the 781-student district since 1989.
Of his many achievements over the years, the one Olkowski says he is most proud of is an $8 million building and remodeling referendum that passed on the first try in 1992.
"There was a lot of opposition from a newly formed taxpayers group," he says. "They fought it viciously. It took a lot of perseverance and fortitude to see that completed."
The district used the bond money to replace the original three-story, red brick school building with new facilities.
He says the most difficult time during his tenure was in the 1980s when boards and teacher unions clashed in collective bargaining before the state's "qualified economic offer" (QEO) legislation was enacted. In one year, the board and the union met 43 times to negotiate a contract settlement.
Once the QEO system was created in 1992, boards could make a cost-of -living offer of 3.8 percent without fear of being taken to arbitration. That created a much better atmosphere for education, he says.
Another part of the job he found especially tough is expulsion hearings, even if expulsion is justified. "You just feel bad inside to see that happen to a kid. It's one of the most unpleasant things I've had to do," he says.
Olkowski has seen a great many changes in public education during his more than half a century on the board.
When he was first elected in 1949, Wisconsin had 4,000 separate school districts. But by the early 1960s, that number was cut to 426.
Students have changed a lot, too. "Young students of today are less inhibited, more socially adjusted, and smarter for their age," he says. "Due to the explosion of knowledge in the last half-century, the demands on students are now very high."
Asked about the biggest developments in education during his tenure, Olkowski cites enactment of the special education law in 1975; what he calls the Sputnik Era, sparking a surge of interest in improving math and science education; the computer age of the 1990s; and the passage of Title IX, which mandated equality between boys' and girls' sports programs.
Olkowski has received many honors over the years, but the one he values most is the Public Service Award, presented by the Wisconsin Institute of CPAs in 1997.
School officials credit Olkowski's long tenure for creating stability and encouraging other board members to put in long terms. Shirley Sowinski served on the board for 24 years, Roger Day served 20 years. Jan Hahn, a 23-year veteran, was recently re-elected.
Superintendent Karling calls Olkowski "the ideal board member."
"He truly understood his obligations as a board member, and he always kept his boardsmanship and his administration separate," Karling says. "Jack had a thorough understanding of school finance from auditing schools and municipal entities in Wisconsin for over 40 years."
But most important, Karling says, in the face of adversity or pressure from special interest groups, Olkowski was always quick to look at what's best for the students. "That's the most important thing for a school board member to do."
"The best part of being a school board member is being able to see the success of your efforts when the beautiful young men and women walk up on the stage to receive their diplomas," says Olkowski.
"Many former students whom I knew well have gone successfully through life and are now retired," he says. "All my efforts seem rewarded when I see their success in life as college presidents, doctors, engineers, accountants, teachers, nurses, lawyers, mothers, fathers, and all-around good American citizens."