McLean County Times

Former state school employee Sara Garrett, who retired in May 2016, saved $164,804 toward a pension over 30 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Garrett would collect as much as $2.95 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes McLean County Times.

The projection assumes Garrett received $61,990 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Garrett will have already received $191,606 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.