Maryland's debate over charter school funding could soon be settled. Charter school leaders say it's time to look to the future.

There are about 50 public charter schools in Maryland, educating roughly 24,000 students. 30 of these schools, over half of the total number, are in Baltimore. For some time, there has been a heated debate about funding formulas for public charter schools. Charter schools are independently operated under a contract, or charter, with individual public school systems. Last May, a group of charter schools said they were in danger of closing because some of these systems withheld funding. Will McKenna, the former co-chair of the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter Schools, recently worked with the state education officials, including State Schools Superintendent Carey Wright, to create a better deal for the state's charter schools. He joins Midday to discuss those negotiations and what they mean for the future. McKenna is founder and the executive director of Afya Baltimore, which operates two charter schools in Baltimore.