Community input sessions to begin regarding future K-8 school replacing Lincoln Middle

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Plans are underway to transform the current Lincoln Middle School campus in Gainesville into a K through 8 school, following the Alachua County School Board’s decision to close Williams Elementary at the end of the 2027-2028 school year, and the closure of Stephen Foster Elementary this year.

Before construction begins, leaders want to hear what the community has to say, so they’re hosting two input sessions, starting Tuesday.

The transformed Lincoln middle school campus would serve students K through 8 from Lincoln Middle and Williams Elementary. The project will also honor the legacy of the late Joseph Williams, for whom the elementary school is named, and A. Quinn Jones, the first principal of what was then Lincoln High School.

The school board has budgeted $96 million for the project, which is expected to be completed in the fall or winter of 2029.

Families, school staff, and community members are encouraged to attend the upcoming community sessions where they’ll get to speak to and hear from the very architects in charge of the project.

The first session is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10 at 6 pm, and the second for December 1st also at 6 pm.

Both sessions will be held in the Lincoln Middle School auditorium.

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