Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Sarah Gernand, who retired in May 2016, saved $52,362 toward a pension over 18 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Gernand would collect as much as $739,396, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Gernand received $15,541 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Gernand will have already received $65,017 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.