CONCORD - The House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would make charter school funding open-ended, allowing new applications to move forward.

House Bill 299 would change the current law enacted in 2011 to cap state spending on charter schools. The cap caused the state Board of Education to reject any new applications because the state could not pay its student grants.

Charter schools receive approximately $5,400 per student in state aid.

The bill has to go to the House Finance Committee for review before the House takes a final vote on the bill.