Infographic: Benefits without funding
California school districts, which began offering health benefits to retired employees and their dependents decades ago, have about $20 billion in unfunded debt from those obligations. Districts largely have failed to prepare for the increasingly expensive benefits. The five districts below have unfunded liabilities totaling $13 billion but have set aside only about $200 million.
$282
$633
$681
$820
million
*Los Angeles Unified set aside $90 million last
year and budgeted $78 million this year.
**Sacramento Unified set aside $5 million last year
and budgeted $6 million this year.
$0
$0
$26 million
$168 million*
$10.9 billion
Money set aside for
retiree benefits
(2013-14)
Total unfunded liability
Long
Beach
Unified
Sacramento
Unified
San Francisco
Unified
Fresno
Unified
Los Angeles Unified
11.4
20.0
32.1
33.0
$280-$290
701
3,195
5,038
4,911
37,517
Number of
retirees
covered
Cost of retiree
benefits
Unified school
district
(in millions)
Los Angeles
Fresno
San Francisco
Sacramento
Long Beach
1.5
5.2
4.5
4.5
4.4%
How the current retiree health
benefits costs add up
The school districts' annual budgets
and retirees' health benefit costs
Cost for retiree
benefits as a %
Budget
Unified school
district
$6.4 bil
$726.6 mil
$716 mil
$383 mil
$736 mil
$11 million**
Los Angeles
Fresno
San Francisco
Sacramento
Long Beach
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento unified school districts offer lifetime benefits. Fresno Unified offers lifetime benefits if hired before July 2005; otherwise, benefits up to age 65. Long Beach Unified offers benefits up to age 67.
Sources: California Dept. of Education, individual school districts
Graphics reporting by Zahira Torres
Lorena Iñiguez Elebee / Los Angeles Times