Who Owns Property Bought by Private Entity to Operate Charter Schools?

Hope Academy Broadway Campus et al. v. White Hat Management, LLC, et al., Case No. 2013-2050

Tenth District Court of Appeals (Franklin County)

ISSUES:

- Are public funds paid to a private entity to operate a community school subject to public accountability after the entity is paid?

- Is a private entity acting as a purchasing agent for a community school when it uses funds from the Ohio Department of Education to buy furniture, computers, software, equipment, and other personal property to operate the community school?

- Does a private entity operating a community school have a fiduciary relationship with the school, and must the entity act primarily for the benefit of the school?