West Central Reporter

Former state school employee Karen Stauffer, who retired in November 2017, saved $121,506 toward a pension over 19 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Stauffer would collect as much as $1.89 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Stauffer received $39,803 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Stauffer will have already received $123,027 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.