South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Carol Ellsworth, who retired in July 2016, saved $5,233 toward a pension over 3 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Ellsworth would collect as much as $74,360, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Ellsworth received $1,563 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Ellsworth will have already received $6,539 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.