South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Lori Heckert, who retired in May 2017, saved $142,222 toward a pension over 34 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Heckert would collect as much as $2.75 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Heckert received $57,746 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Heckert will have already received $178,486 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.