Arundel’s middle school students may not be fully aware of it, but they are surrounded by a dispute that ”“ one way or another ”“ will affect their scholastic future.

In fact, it’s their immediate future that is up for debate: Whether they will go to Thornton Academy Middle School, Middle School of the Kennebunks, or whether they will be able to take their choice.

These options are good ones, but to school officials and other adults, the situation raises unwelcome complications involving costs and politics. Perhaps the biggest complication is the fact that Thornton Academy holds a contract that seems to specify the schooling of all Arundel middle schoolers.

It’s an obstacle that could thwart the otherwise reasonable ambition of the RSU 21 board to avoid paying tuition for students who could be taught within the district. Like school districts throughout the state, RSU 21 is working on next year’s budget with the aim of offsetting a substantial loss of state aid.

Other complications include Maine’s School Consolidation Law, RSU 21’s school choice policy and the potential option of buying out the Thornton Academy Middle School contract.

It is easy to be sympathetic to Arundel and Thornton Academy. The town was rebuffed several years ago when it sought a place for Arundel students at the Middle School of the Kennebunks. When Thornton Academy Middle School emerged as an alternative, TA invested heavily to make it happen.

One way or another, this controversy will eventually be settled, and there are issues beyond cost to be considered. Advocates of school choice might make a case for preserving Arundel’s relationship with Thornton Academy. TA serves public school students in RSU 23 and other districts, in some cases offering students a choice.

On the other hand, Arundel students might be well-served by a traditional arrangement that keeps them in one district, sending them to middle school and then high school in Kennebunk. It would provide a sense of continuity and identity that is important to many young people.

School officials are aware that they are presiding over a momentous decision for children. As lawyers and accountants work their way through the costs and complications, educators have the more substantial task of making sure whatever outcome emerges works well for students.