John Ciardi got his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1939 and

John Ciardi was born in 1916 in Boston, Massachusetts, the child of Italian immigrants. He attended Bates College and Tufts College and received his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1939. He is the author of more than forty volumes of poetry.

Faced with a problem that could break the budget, Maryland is joining a growing number of states by looking for private partners to help improve school facilities. A law that took effect July 1 allows Maryland’s school systems to fund school construction and renovation projects using alternatives to traditional financing, which usually comes from the sale of bonds by public agencies to banks and investors.