South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Jeanne Cotter, who retired in May 2016, saved $86,115 toward a pension over 20 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Cotter would collect as much as $1.17 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Cotter received $24,618 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Cotter will have already received $102,995 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.