Rockford Sun

Former state school employee Pamela Giacalone, who retired in May 2016, saved $129,911 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, Giacalone would collect as much as $3.37 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Rockford Sun.

The projection assumes Giacalone received $70,803 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Giacalone will have already received $143,730 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.