South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Lenore Gray, who retired in May 2016, saved $64,718 toward a pension over 29 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Gray would collect as much as $1.59 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Gray received $33,321 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Gray will have already received $67,642 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.