South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Karen Crippen, who retired in May 2016, saved $67,443 toward a pension over 25 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Crippen would collect as much as $1.23 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Crippen received $25,862 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Crippen will have already received $79,937 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.