A 17% raise in electricity rates causes economic problems in Springfield, especially for the elementary school. Chalmers announces that the school district is unable to keep all the the schools open and will be conducting standardized tests to determine which school should be closed. After the tests, Springfield is ranked the worst performing school, so the children prepare to be bussed to other schools. However, Bart wasn't present and didn't take the exam, so a retest is scheduled. Bart disregards his obligation to study and perform well to save the school, until Lisa helps him with some test-taking skills. He passes the test with a little help from a bug that crawls onto the answer sheet, and Springfield Elementary is saved. Meanwhile, Homer finds a parking meter at the dump and uses it to make a little extra money. But, his scheme unravels when Chief Wiggum discovers what he's doing.