South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Valerie Bastien, who retired in March 2017, saved $41,876 toward a pension over 10 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Bastien would collect as much as $566,737, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Bastien received $11,912 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Bastien will have already received $49,834 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.