Chicago City Wire

Former high school teacher Melanie Taylor, who retired in January 2016, saved $25,080 toward a pension over 12 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Taylor would collect as much as $401,070, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Taylor received $8,430 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Taylor will have already received $26,056 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.