Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Sharon Dunham, who retired in June 2018, saved $181,156 toward a pension over 30 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Dunham would collect as much as $3.96 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Dunham received $83,321 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Dunham will have already received $257,538 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.