I remember what it felt like, sitting in one of the maroon and purposefully uncomfortable chairs resting my elbows on the edge of the small grey desk. It was my first day in the class that I soon realized would change my life.

The teacher, Mrs. Traci Tackett, walked into the room and said, “This class will be whatever you want it to be. I am here to make those visions in your heads reality.”

I had never felt such an instant explosion of intellectual curiosity, and from that moment forward I have been working to make schools in Kentucky and students in my state learn as I did. Having learned what it meant to explore individual passions and grow from hands-on learning, my desire is that every student gets that chance.

Through my experience with Mrs. Tackett and many of the other wonderful educators at Pikeville High School, I found my reason to learn. I have established a comfort in attending school and developed a passion for learning.

It is because of my teachers that I was able to participate in The Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, that I am attending The University of Louisville on scholarship, and that I am an outspoken advocate for the importance of taking care of those that, ultimately, create the future generation of innovators, leaders, and learners – our teachers.

With all of that being said, unfortunately, Kentucky is in a crisis – and our educators are going to be paying for it.

Due to the mismanagement of retirement funds from past administrations, we simply do not have the money to pay retirees their benefits. I am not one to throw the word crisis around lightly, but Kentucky is at least $40 billion dollars short.

That should justify a certain level of alarm. Something, obviously, has to be done, but Matt Bevin’s proposed plan will destroy the support system our educators not only deserve but need after retiring from teaching.

Matt Bevin’s plan moves teacher retirement from traditional pensions to 401 (K)- style plans. The exact details of the effects of this shift will likely be unclear until we see an actual bill from Frankfort, but it can be assumed this change will significantly alter the current plan and benefits.

We know that teachers would see an increase of three percent for retiree health benefits and the cost of living supplement would be eliminated completely. There are plenty of other cuts that come with this proposed shift. Teachers who retire after July 1, 2023, will not be able to place the value of unused sick days towards their final retirement benefits. This could create more sick days because teachers will not want to lose these days.

However, this is not the only dreadful change that will take effect on July 1, 2023, teachers will use their highest five years of salary to calculate their benefits. This, as opposed to the current use of the highest three years, will result in a decrease in benefits that could be rather large.

Teachers, in general, are already so underpaid. They work because they love what they do and they are willing to take the monetary sacrifices, work long hours, and get countless graduate degrees because teaching is their passion.

This new plan will destroy the livelihood of teachers and make it nearly impossible to maintain a decent quality of life.

These teachers with children and families, with student debt and mortgages, and with needs and wants cannot take this blow to one of the only benefits that make teaching even slightly possible to afford. A pension is a promise.

Now it is up to the people of Kentucky, my neighbors, and my friends to make sure this pension plan stays just that- a plan.

Write to your Kentucky legislators, call your representatives, share your stories, post on social media using the hashtags #pensionreform, #kyga17, and #apensionisapromise.

Let’s show Matt Bevin and Frankfort that we support our teachers, our schools, and our future generations.