Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 5, "The Deli"

Although Abbott Elementary’s most heartwarming moments saw Barb extort money from a corrupt official in her church after she caught her embezzling funds, saving the school’s future in the process. This tendency could cause the faculty some issues in Abbott Elementary season 4.

Abbott Elementary season 4 began with a rich developer offering to buy the school new computers if the staff didn’t report them for using non-union laborers. This bribe set the school up with a lot of fancy new tech but also meant the school's funding was now contingent on the golf course’s construction. Abbott Elementary’s Melissa, Jacob, and Barbara accepted the computers in exchange for their silence, and season 4, episode 6, “The Deli,” saw the developer’s lawyer return with a new demand. In exchange for telling the kids not to play on the work site, the developers promised new gym equipment.

Abbott Elementary Season 4's Golf Course Issue Explained

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Puts The Teachers In An Impossible Bind

Abbott Elementary season 4’s golf course plot put the school’s funding at risk when Abbott’s faculty took bribes for new computers and gym equipment from the unscrupulous developers. This almost immediately became a problem when the staff learned that the local deli would soon be priced out of their neighborhood and replaced by a smoothie shop. As the locals protested the potential loss of their deli, Barbara claimed she agreed with stopping the golf course's construction. However, this wasn’t true since, if the golf course shut down construction, this would have meant Abbott’s newest funding stream would dry up.

The question for the staff is how they could withdraw their of the golf course’s construction without losing their new funding stream.

Abbott Elementary’s golf course plot shapes season 4’s story as the sitcom proved its heroic teachers aren't infallible. Even Abbott Elementary’s Barbara was alright with taking bribes and hiding them when it was for the good of the school, but the teachers remain worried about the course's potential impact on the community. The question for the staff is how they could withdraw their of the golf course’s construction without losing their new funding stream. Abbott Elementary’s teachers are in an impossible bind in season 4, caught between needing funding for their students and trying to their neighborhood.

How Ava's Talk Can Solve Abbott Elementary Season 4's Difficult Problem

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 6 Hinted At A Possible Solution

Fortunately, “The Deli” secretly provided an answer to the faculty’s problem. Although Abbott Elementary's Principal Ava wasn’t financially compensated for her inspiring Ed Talk, the teachers still pushed Ava to give the speech since it could lead to positive publicity and subsequent alternative funding streams. This could mean that the school would no longer need the developer's money. Manny also noted that Ava could get paid to speak in the future, meaning the school could potentially oppose the golf course's construction without worrying about funding. Thus, Abbott Elementary’s principal may be the unlikely answer to the golf course conundrum.

Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 9:30pm on ABC.