As a pension reform bill makes its way through the legislative process in Frankfort, fired up teachers across Kentucky aren’t going to sit around and wait to see what happens.

“Teachers and other public employees being treated this way is simply wrong,” said Floyd County Education Association President Angela Coleman. “A pension is a promise.”

Teachers, public workers, and retirees have been reminding lawmakers for week about that promise through rallies, and walk-ins across the state and at the Capitol in Frankfort.

During a rally Saturday in Prestonsburg, teachers from at least four counties gathered outside Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear’s field office. Beshear has openly spoken out against the reform bill and has warned lawmakers that the changes violate an inviolable contract made between the state and state employees that guarantees them a pension and comfortable living after retirement.

With the proposed changes, the bill could cut an estimated $65,000 in retirement benefits for teachers over a 20-year time.

Kentucky’s pension fund is facing a $41 billion deficit over the next 30 years and bill sponsors say the bill is designed to fill the gap by making most state agencies cut six percent and cut retirement benefits. It would also slice the annual cost of living adjustments.

Now teachers who have already retired are worried about what their future holds.

“One of the benefits that we did have as a teacher was we would get to retire before 65,” said Donny Daniels. “But the ones that did retire before 65 and before Medicare kicks in, we're going to have to find some supplement.”

Daniels retired four years ago after teaching for 28 years. He says he depends on that pension and if the cuts go through, it may mean rejoining the workforce to keep afloat.

“You're taking in to a quality of life and quality of living that I have with my wife and my children. it's a strain on a family.”

“We have prepaid in to our retirement,” said Coleman. “We have prepaid into our healthcare, we have prepaid into our COLAs. We're not asking for anything that we haven't earned.”

Coleman says she worries what these changes could mean to the future of Kentucky’s education system. She says if there are changes that are unappealing, it will be hard to recruit new teachers.

The fact that the bill was sent back to committee Friday when it was supposed to be voted on makes many believe their outcries and protests are working.

“You got a lot of people in the state of Kentucky that this is going to effect and we hope that we're making a difference out here today,” said Daniels.

We're standing up and we're speaking up and we're getting united,” said Coleman. “United we stand, divided we fall.”

A rally put on by the Kentucky Education Association and other organizations is set for Monday at the capitol. It will begin at 5 p.m.