Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Mark Cunningham, who retired in July 2016, saved $286,444 toward a pension over 33 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Cunningham would collect as much as $4.85 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Cunningham received $102,024 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Cunningham will have already received $315,347 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.