The inevitable happened in Groton last week when the Board of Education voted to close one of its three middle schools housing sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

Now, amid a sense of urgency, the painful decision of which school to close will be made following community meetings at Cutler, Fitch and West Side middle schools. If Groton is going to do this at the start of the next school year, it has to act fast.

The district's director of building and grounds has said it is imperative to decide which school to shutter by year's end, so that the two remaining buildings can be readied for additional students next academic year. Some of that work may be done this school year, requiring students to temporarily move.

What a disruption for students.

But that is a decision Groton voters made when they overwhelmingly rejected a $133 million remake of their public school system six months ago. The so-called Phase II plan, which was five years in the making, was too expensive to approve, opponents argued.

Now they're going to find out what it will cost to fix Groton's school problems piecemeal.

Portable classrooms that may be necessary could cost as much as $800,000. Renovations to Fitch Middle School, should it be spared, have been set at $33 million. The overhaul would include asbestos removal, fire-code upgrades, and addressing structural and heating and ventilation issues.

Similar renovations at Cutler Middle School have been estimated at $23.2 million. These buildings are in poor shape and need to be refurbished.

This newspaper supported the Phase II plan, which was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin, because it benefited the town academically and financially. It would have consolidated all the town's seventh- and eighth-graders in one new middle school, as well as addressing other building concerns, including closing two schools, and opening new early-education centers serving pre-kindergarteners through first-graders.

It was a thoughtful, multi-dimensional plan that was eligible for state support and crafted to save dollars in the long term and improve education.

The school district still needs to solve its problems, but it's going to be more difficult now. That's a reality parents, educators and board members need to deal with, and quickly.