Chicago City Wire

Former school nurse Cheryl Cook, who retired in February 2018, saved $72,023 toward a pension over 12 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Cook would collect as much as $974,623, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Cook received $20,485 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Cook will have already received $85,703 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.