I remember showing up for tenth grade, looking at the list of assigned classrooms in the first day of the school year. Instead of the usual the digit number, it said “C1”. My classmates showed up, and we’re just as confused as I was.

The C turned out to be short for “container”, which we found in a corner of the school grounds.

That said, being able to quickly go outside in every break was pretty neat. And the school actually did get a second building only a few years later.

Welcome to government funding.

School District: we need a new school

Enrollment: 4200

Government: Awesome, here’s $4.2 million, go build the 4200 student school.

SD: Uhh, won’t that take a few years? Should we add some buffer space to the plan?

Government: ehh, naah

Spongebob 3 years later: Welcome to Springfield High School!

Enrollment: 6900

Springfield: see, gooberment, we needed more classrooms!

Gooberment: heh, would you look at that. Lol. Well, use your budget to build some portables.

SD: Us? Why don’t you pay!?!?

Gooberment: Oh, haha, yeah, that’s an operating expense. We only fund capital projects! Don’t worry, give us a plan to expand and we can fund you in 10 years

10 years later: Ok gooberment, our numbers say we need 15 classrooms. But for the expansion, we should do 25 for future proofing

Gooberment: Oh, but you only need 15 now? Yeah here’s money for 15

2 years later: Here’s 15 classrooms!

SD: We need 25…

Gooberment: Oh, yeah, get some portables and talk to us in a few years!

Rinse and repeat