Metro East Sun

Former state school employee Ronald Trelow, who retired in July 2016, saved $193,708 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, Trelow would collect as much as $4.22 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Metro East Sun.

The projection assumes Trelow received $88,648 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Trelow will have already received $274,001 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.