Franchot proposes school construction

Democratic Comptroller candidate Peter Franchot on Wednesday proposed pumping $500 million into school construction to alleviate the crisis caused by state?s aging and overcrowded public school.

Franchot said he wants to tap into the state?s $800 million debt capacity to fund his proposal, which is $160 million more than Gov. Robert Ehrlich allotted for new schools and renovations this year ? an all-time record. Debt capacity refers to the amount the state can safely borrow.