Auditors said mistakes and miscalculations caused the Manatee County School district to have a $3.4 million budget deficit.
Navigant Consulting presented its findings to the school board on Monday.
The report said the most significant mistakes focused on salary projections for employees. It said the figures were underestimated.
The report also found the district hired teachers without budgeting for them, underestimated the cost of some programs and failed to keep checks and balances throughout the year.
Interim School Superintendent Dr. David Gayler said some of the problems have already been fixed.
"Typically in a district there are a lot more controls that occur. There are many, many functions that have better oversight," said Gayler.
The audit said former assistant superintendent Jim Drake was in charge of the budget process.
It concluded that Drake "failed to provide adequate supervision and oversight" and said "This shortcoming was a significant factor in the budget shortfalls."
The report also said former superintendent Tim McGonegal did not know about the deficit until it was too late.
Some citizens blasted the report and said it doesn't go far enough.
"It was very laser focused," said Mike Becks, "the results are vague and there's no one at fault."
Auditors recommended the district make some changes which include coming up with a better way to track salaries, hiring more staff to oversee the budget process and closely monitoring the financial situation throughout the year.