West Central Reporter

Former state school employee Debra Wasowicz, who retired in May 2016, saved $96,870 toward a pension over 28 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Wasowicz would collect as much as $1.74 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Wasowicz received $36,615 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Wasowicz will have already received $113,172 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.