South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Ernie Fowler, who retired in September 2017, saved $196,086 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, Fowler would collect as much as $2.83 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Fowler received $59,496 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Fowler will have already received $248,909 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.