Those teachers unions applauded Pritzker’s budget that raised the cap from 3% to 6%. The trade-off, of course, is increased strain on the teachers’ pension fund, which is heavily subsidized by taxpayers statewide. The Teachers Retirement System, which funds the pensions of teachers outside Chicago, as of last summer carried unfunded pension liabilities of more than $75 billion. The system’s own website currently warns visitors that TRS “has less than 40 cents in the bank for every dollar owed to members.”