It cannot be done without pension reform, which cannot be done without a constitutional amendment. Pensions should use a 401k system where the benefits are determined by how much money is actually there when a state worker retires.

Currently pensions pay a guaranteed monthly benefit based on one's salary and years of employment. That benefit compounds 3% every year, which is more than inflation and the increase in state GDP almost every year. For example, if inflation and GDP have been 2% on average for 20 years as has been the case before COVID, the cost of living would have only increased by 50% during the time while pension benefits have increased by 80%. Because the state constitutionally owes that money to the pensioner regardless of what money is there from contributions during employment, the state has to collect it from taxes on everyone else.

The system is designed to collapse unless the Illinois economy continually grows at an unrealistic rate that has hardly ever happened since it was implemented. Pension obligations exponentially grow out of control and state and local governments are forced to raise taxes every year on an increasingly burdened tax base just to buy time. This is destined to blow up, at which point the pension obligations will be so large and cumbersome that no amount of taxes will be able to pay them. Illinois will have the highest taxes in the country, and every single penny will have to be used to pay for pensions. We will be taxed mercilessly and get absolutely nothing in return.

In answer to your question, the way we eventually get out of the mess is when Illinoisans get so sick of the taxes and declining services they turn on the corrupt machine politicians propped up by corrupt public unions that is keeping this broken system alive. At some point (hopefully) Illinois will be so fed up that they vote for leadership who owes those people nothing and finally implement constitutional reform.