The district has received $16 million in state funds this school year to keep classes for its youngest students small.
Santa Ana officials announced in late March that they would hire independent auditors and, in meetings with teachers, pledged to correct any altered attendance rosters.
Before the school board formally approved spending $25,000 on the audit, Russo urged trustees to expand the audit to include the district's ninth-grade class size reduction program.
"Although class size reduction implementation at ninth grade is not in question, I am asking the board to include ninth-grade class size reduction in the audit," Russo said at the meeting.
But on April 4, someone complained by e-mail to state officials that a ninth-grade English class at Santa Ana High had 27 students.
Merris-Coots, the state official supervising the ninth-grade program, forwarded the complaint to Salcedo that same day.
"The concern is accurate," Merris-Coots added. "As I know second- and third-hand messages are not always accurate, would you please let me know the situation at Santa Ana High?"
Salcedo responded an hour later: "Thank you for the e-mail, Mr. Merris-Coots. I am looking at this situation and should be able to explain tomorrow, Thursday."
A spokeswoman for the state said Merris-Coots never received an answer and was awaiting the results of the audit.
Attempts to reach Salcedo were unsuccessful Thursday.
Supt. Russo said she was unaware of the state's e-mail exchange with Salcedo until The Times forwarded the messages to a district spokeswoman Thursday.
It's not clear whether Salcedo passed on the state's concerns to any district administrators. Russo said she planned to find out more after the district's staff returns from spring break next week.
"I can't read his mind. He may have thought this was something he could respond to easily. Until I can talk to him about that, I wouldn't want to make a judgment," she said.
"Regardless of where that complaint had gone initially," said school board President Rob Richardson, "it probably would have been helpful to share that with the downtown staff immediately.... The core of the issue is to find out what the facts are in that instance and at any school, so we're conducting business the way the law intends."
But board member Audrey Yamagata-Noji noted that the communication between the state and Salcedo came only days before the board meeting.
