COURTESY TIM KNOPP - Sen. Tim Knopp

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who goes to a meeting about the state’s Public Employees Retirement System for fun.

Nonetheless, a small group distinguished itself as the sort that may enjoy discussing market returns, annuities and formulas during the Dec. 12 meeting of a bipartisan work group convened by Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose and Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend.

“This is the geek corner,” said PERS Executive Director Steve Rodeman to Cheri Helt, who sits on the board of directors of Bend-La Pine Schools. He appeared to gesture to Jim Green, of the Oregon School Boards Association.

Sen. Johnson immediately ran with it:

“Steve, another question for the geek corner,” she quipped.

The informal work group has met twice since September and was formed to find reforms for the pension system, which faces $22 billion in unfunded liability, that will pass constitutional muster.