Chicago City Wire

Former bilingual teacher Catherine Barzen, who retired in October 2016, saved $140,204 toward a pension over 27 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Barzen would collect as much as $2.29 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Barzen received $48,216 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Barzen will have already received $149,030 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.