Chicago City Wire

Former special education worker Angelica Contreras, who retired in February 2016, saved $100,343 toward a pension over 17 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Contreras would collect as much as $1.59 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Contreras received $33,371 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Contreras will have already received $103,146 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.