<p>State Sen. David Nelson discusses the education funding process at the Eastern Oregon Executive Summit.</p>

Education funding, test scores and No Child Left Behind were just a few of the topics covered  during the third annual Eastern Oregon Executive Summit on Monday and Tuesday in Pendleton.

For two days, educators brainstormed, discussed and heard updates about current issues facing Oregons education system. Sponsored by the InterMountain Education Service District, the annual event is designed to bring current information and both local and state speakers to Eastern Oregon. The 2011 summit represented the ESDs new quad-county coverage area to bring in attendees from across Umatilla, Morrow, Union and Baker counties, including administrators from Hermiston, Umatilla and Morrow alongside representatives from Union school districts, such as Elgin and Cove.

State Superintendent Susan Castillo began her presentation with a congratulations on the recent merger, which joined the Umatilla-Morrow ESD and the Union-Baker ESD to become IMESD. She said the merger showed a positive level of collaboration and interaction.

I think its (collaboration) is what we all need to be doing, at whatever level, Castillo said. We need to work together.

In her address, Castillo also said she supports the state going to one accountability system districts may currently face conflicting results from different sources, such as state report cards and adequate yearly progress (AYP) as well as rethinking the way education is funded. The state superintendent said new systems could reward schools and districts for the final product of college- and career-ready students rather than whether fourth-grade ELL students met AYP.

Im very excited about that because the way we currently budget in our state has not moved us forward, she said. Theres a lot of dysfunction in it, and I think changing that process and having it more directed at results I think in the end its going to help us make progress.

The summit covered topics across the educational spectrum from regional professional development to a presentation by Sen. David Nelson about the states current political climate. Through an interactive session, Nelson spoke with educators about a variety of issues, including the difference between the House and Senate and the varied effects of legislation on school districts in Portland and Eastern Oregon. Although no questions were answered, much of the conversation centered on funding for education.

The question is how do we raise more money, Nelson said. The system does need more money. Theres no question about that. We cant have larger classes, we cant have kids graduating higher education $25,000 in debt. Education does need a dedicated source of income.

Although the summit brought some new faces, others, such as Umatilla School Superintendent Heidi Sipe, have attended each year.

I enjoyed it. I always appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with other educators in our region, and its nice to have state level speakers present the information well need throughout the year, Sipe said. I think my favorite component was the legislative overview provided by Chuck Benate from COSA (Confederation of Oregon School Administrators). I also appreciated Sen. Nelson sharing his time for us. Its nice to have an understanding of not only what the new bills and actions are but also how they came to be.

In a press release, IMESD Superintendent Mark Mulvihill also stressed the summits ability to bring together government

This is probably one of my most enjoyable events that we put on during the year, simply because of the networking opportunities, Mulvihill said. We always look forward to brining over our colleagues from Salem, and its a great way for our local school leaders to kick off the new school year.