Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has made investing in school infrastructure a centerpiece of her administration (as well as her just-announced re-election campaign). The issue is not so much whether or not the state should invest $500 million – to be generated by two $250 million bond sales over the next two election cycles. Rather it is, can the state afford to take on the extra debt given its already higher than average debt load compared with other states? And will this hamper the state’s ability to respond to unforeseen needs for funding down the road? Should the state be taking on this extra debt at this time?
