KPERS board to review $7.7 billion gap in pension obligations Thursday

? The Board of Trustees for the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System is reviewing its long-term funding problems.

The issue is on the agenda for a meeting of the board Thursday.

KPERS officials say there’s a gap of nearly $7.7 billion between its long-term obligations to pensioners and its projected income.

The system has assets valued at $13.5 billion and covers 250,000 teachers, government employees and retirees.

The unfunded liability doesn’t threaten current payments to retirees. But state official see stabilizing the system’s long-term financial health as a big budget issue in coming years.