Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Carol Cornelius, who retired in May 2018, saved $134,735 toward a pension over 19 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Cornelius would collect as much as $2.47 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Cornelius received $51,982 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Cornelius will have already received $160,670 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.