Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Mary Ellen Zerante, who retired in October 2018, saved $54,321 toward a pension over 11 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Zerante would collect as much as $689,265, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Zerante received $14,487 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Zerante will have already received $60,610 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.