Cook County homeowners face rising property taxes. Three-fourths of that money is going to police and fire pensions instead of services.

Money that could help address the teacher shortage is often the first to get cut in pursuit of keeping up with government pension debt. Supporting Illinois teachers will require constitutional pension reform and protecting Tier 2 cost savings.

State data shows 31,937 members of Illinois’ five pension systems collected $100,000 a year or more in retirement benefits during 2024. Some got over $500,000. See the full list below.

The average retired career state employee in Illinois was paid $93,558 in pension benefits last year. That’s $24,538 more than the average Illinoisan working to pay for those retirees.

Without careful evaluation of whether Illinois’ pensions for newer employees are running afoul of federal rules or what the penalties would be, spending $78 million from the state’s budget is premature and wasteful.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan collected a pension worth $158,000 in 2024 while facing a federal corruption trial in Chicago. Depending on the verdict, taxpayers could be on the hook for another $1 million to cover his remaining benefits.

Voters in Lemont Township are taking up the pension crisis, gerrymandering and unfunded mandates. The township voted to put three questions on the April 1 ballot to let state leaders know they expect progress on the issues.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pensions are worth an estimated $3.8 million after only four years as a teacher and one term as mayor. It could go even higher, depending on his next job moves.