Millions In Retirement: Ex-Burr Ridge D180 Leader's Pay Examined

BURR RIDGE, IL – Thomas Schneider, the longtime superintendent at Burr Ridge School District 180, retired June 30 with a salary of just under $300,000.

Through a public records request, the Teachers Retirement System provided information about Schneider, superintendent for 17 years.

The pension system did not have the amount of Schneider's pension because it has yet to process his retirement claim.

Over his 35.4 years of service as a teacher and administrator, Schneider contributed $383,266 to the pension system. That works out to $10,800 a year.

If his initial pension is $200,000 a year – likely much lower than what he will actually get – he would receive the amount he contributed in less than two years.

Schneider was 57 at retirement. In Illinois, male life expectancy is about 77 years old. If Schneider lives 20 years, he would pull in well more than $4 million.

Under Illinois law, teacher pensions increase by a compounded 3 percent annually. By the end of two decades, Schneider would make $360,000 a year.

Many consider the Teachers Retirement System's finances unsustainable. According to the system, its unfunded liability as of last year stood at nearly $81 billion.

Schneider's final salary was $299,495. His last raise was $16,495.

Last year, Patch compared Schneider's pay to superintendents in the area. His was the highest.

District 180's latest enrollment is 445. At that level, Schneider's salary worked out to about $675 per student. That compares to $30 in Elmhurst School District 205, where the $250,000-a-year superintendent is in charge of more than 8,000 students.

The new District 180 superintendent is Charlie Kyle, who received a three-year contract for a salary of $190,000 a year.

Members of the Teachers Retirement System are ineligible for Social Security.