Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Judy Heller, who retired in June 2016, saved $187,238 toward a pension over 28 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Heller would collect as much as $3.65 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Heller received $76,763 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Heller will have already received $237,267 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.