Tempers flared at times as dozens of angry parents and community members packed into school board meeting Wednesday night in Amityville.

Parents told News 12 they are not happy after learning even more school staff are being let go.

"We need answers, because this is you know not acceptable." said parent Megan Messmann.

It was the first board meeting following the district's announcement that dozens of positions will be eliminated next year due to a $3.6 million budget deficit.

Christopher Sarlow, a fifth grade teacher in the district said, "It doesn't seem as though it's a budget deficit as much as a systemic failure, I'm not sure how it happened, I'm not sure why it happened."

As News 12 has reported, more than 40 jobs will be eliminated, including teachers and staff.

When the meeting ended and everyone came out, they told News 12 that they are very angry that their questions did not get answered.

The superintendent did say she plans to include the community in ongoing discussions.

Sarlow said more people in the community should demand answers from the board, "We need the community, especially the families in North Amityville to come down, get involved, ask questions, demand a forensic audit so we can see exactly what went wrong."

A financial consultant, Carl Fraser, was approved by the board at Wednesday's school board meeting.

A spokesperson for the district said, "Mr. Fraser is an independent consultant who will provide financial guidance, insights and suggestions based upon his financial expertise to the superintendent and/or business official as requested during the 2024-25 budget development and finalization process."