South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Cindy Kroeger, who retired in May 2016, saved $119,093 toward a pension over 33 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Kroeger would collect as much as $2.63 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Kroeger received $55,379 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Kroeger will have already received $171,170 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.