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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- A public hearing was held to discuss the possibility of opening a charter school in the City of Schenectady.

It was a packed meeting Wednesday night as residents filled the cafeteria at the Mont Pleasant Middle School to learn more about the proposal.

Officials from the Eximius Academy Charter School say they want to use a building on Nott Street as the location for the school. The building used to house the Department of Social Services before they relocated to Broadway back in 2009.

Advocates for the school say the idea for this came about a couple of years ago after a couple of suicides in the Himlton Hill area.

"She got a few people together in the community and said listen, we need to do something to encourage and build self esteem, to build hope into our children. A more disciplined structure starting from kindergarten through fifth grade,” said Ted Ward, Eximius School Board Vice Chair.

Ward says feedback from the community has been "very good." He says residents seem to welcome the idea of an alternative school that will focus on a science, technology and math based curriculum.

If approved, 156 kindergarten and first grade students would be accepted into the school the first year and 78 kindergarten students would be added each year thereafter until it is a kindergarten through fifth grade school.