Former state school employee Jill Bernklau, who retired in June 2018, saved $182,850 toward a pension over 31 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Bernklau would collect as much as $3.24 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Bernklau received $68,022 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Bernklau will have already received $210,250 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.