South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Kimberly Elam, who retired in January 2016, saved $50,932 toward a pension over 18 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Elam would collect as much as $860,291, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Elam received $18,082 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Elam will have already received $55,889 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.