West Central Reporter

Former state school employee Karen Severs, who retired in January 2016, saved $43,819 toward a pension over 14 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Severs would collect as much as $763,208, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Severs received $16,042 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Severs will have already received $49,584 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.