West Central Reporter

Former state school employee Cathy Blansfield, who retired in May 2017, saved $111,862 toward a pension over 35 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Blansfield would collect as much as $2.73 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Blansfield received $57,476 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Blansfield will have already received $116,676 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.