For 9 year old Paul Fede reading hasn't always been easy.
"I sort of mix of the d's and the b's," said the 4th Grader at St. Rita School.
Fede has dyslexia: a learning disorder that most often causes people to mix up letters, words, or sometime speech.
While he does have tutors his parents worry - is it's enough?
"He goes to St. Rita's now he does very very well in school except he struggles with any kind of reading, " said Paul's father, Peter Fede.
It's that concern Borough President James Oddo is trying to tackle.
His office held the first of three of public hearings at St. Joseph by the Sea High School on a new proposed Charter School dedicated to students with dyslexia. Officials fielded questions from parents about what they'd like to see.
''What do you do for students going into a classroom of 34 kids? She's going to be lost in the shuffle, " said a parent attending the meeting.
The school, which still awaits charter approval, is set to open in September in 2018. Borough officials say it would use the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching –which focuses on Kids with Dyslexia. Once open, the school would offer classes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. And class sizes would be small, no more 16 students.
Students would be accepted under a lottery system.
'"It's going to be a screened lottery meaning that children with a diagnosis with dyslexia would get top priority," said Laura Timoney, Deputy Director of Education for the Office of Borough President, James Oddo.
Two more public hearings have been scheduled:
February 13th at New Dorp High School at 465 New Dorp Lane.
February 15th at The Central Family Life Center at 59 Wright Avenue.
Both hearings begin at 7pm.
Parents will be able to sound off about everything from a proposed location to the curriculum.
Input in, what Fede's mother says, seems very promising.
"It's so needed. If they can get that proper reading and writing for them it's a wonderful thing," said Christine Fede.