The computer freezes at 98% completion. The error code changes: “Not enough virtual memory.”

Ooh, a shiny coaster. My office needs one. The last one got sticky. Anyway, the district budget for ‘new learning rectangles’ is zero dollars. Figure it out.

In classroom, the second-graders are watching a grainy, pixelated video on a rolling cart. The screen flickers. The narrator says, “A budget is like a lunch tray…” before the video freezes on a horrifically blocky image of a smiley face.