News Details

August 2026

Sometimes, one person’s dream can make dreams come true for lots of other people.

Bart York’s dream, back in 1986, was to start an education foundation for the benefit of the MSD of Wayne Township.

“As I started my professional career with The Skillman Corporation, which served school corporations across the midwest, I began to hear about and witness the beginnings of school foundations,” Bart said. “I worked for Wayne Township for five years, my wife was teaching for the township and we were living in the township, and I thought this would be a good addition for the community.”

Bart began talking with people living and working in Wayne Township about his idea. Initial reaction to it was mixed: some were supportive; others were skeptical. Many believed that creating a foundation would entail a lot of work that might not lead to a lot of reward. Finally, Bart persuaded the school district’s superintendent to meet with him, on the condition that Bart could find five to seven people who would be willing to help get the organization started.

“My first challenge was to find those community members that I could sell on the idea to help convince the administration (of the school district),” Bart said. “I selected a couple of recognized business owners, families with school children, one individual that provided services to schools, and we met so I could lay out the concept of a foundation.”

The group then met with the superintendent, who agreed to support the creation of the foundation with the understanding it would focus on funding recognition programs at Ben Davis High School. The school district provided the foundation legal counsel at no cost so it could incorporate and create by-laws.

On August 12, 1991, Bart’s dream became a reality. The Indiana Secretary of State recognized the foundation with a Certificate of Incorporation.

Eventually, the foundation received a grant from The Lilly Endowment, which allowed it (and the other education foundations in Marion County) to hire an executive director. “This became another major milestone in the foundation's timeline,” Bart said. “To date, the foundation has only had two executive directors, which has also been a major reason why our organization is considered one of the best foundations in the state.”

Funding continued to grow. That enabled the foundation to begin providing grants to classroom teachers interested in creating projects that could enhance their students’ learning experiences.

With additional funding from The Lilly Foundation and The Indianapolis Foundation in 1997, the organization’s endowment was able to expand exponentially over the past 29 years.

Bart gives a great deal of credit for the foundation’s growth and success over the years to the leadership of Executive Director Lisa Baize, and the dedication of its board.

“I have been and continue to be on not-for-profit boards, and no other boards come close to the quality, dedication, attendance, and engagement of our board members,” he said. “We often have 90 to 95 percent attendance at our monthly meetings, and those not attending usually have a good reason for their absence. I believe this is due to basic dedication in helping our educational process in Wayne Township.”

Bart is excited about the foundation’s future. He’s very pleased about the foundation’s new outreach to district alumni. He feels it will be key for the organization to stay abreast of the continual changes in school funding the district will face. And he believes continuing to select board members who are engaged in education and the community will keep WTEF on track to meet the challenges of the years ahead.

“I can only say that I am very proud of all of our accomplishments, which have probably surpassed my original expectations,” Bart said. “The foundation is special to me because of the impact it has had on our community.”

ABOUT THE WAYNE TOWNSHIP EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Wayne Township Education Foundation (WTEF) provides community leadership to enrich, engage, and stimulate teaching and learning in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. WTEF accomplishes this by supporting school programs and resources, while recognizing excellence among students and staff. To learn more about WTEF, call 317-988-7966, visit wtef.wayne.k12.in.us, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @WayneTwpEdFound.