LAUSD’s teacher strike should draw needed attention to pension costs

The now week-long strike in Los Angeles Unified has raised many issues of statewide, even nationwide, relevance. In addition to the litany of issues it raises about school choice, teacher pay and the influence of teachers unions, it must also draw attention to a problem politicians are all too keen on kicking down the road: rising pension and retiree health benefit costs.
LAUSD, like most other school districts in the state, offers defined benefit pensions to teachers. For decades, the district