RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue is speaking out about the education bill passed the Republican-led senate.

The Excellent Public Schools Act was approved by the state Senate on June 4.

This act will change tenure for teachers and offer performance bonuses, focus on improving literacy, school accountability and teacher training. Schools will be graded on a A through F scale.

Gov. Perdue said, “In order to prepare our children to compete for high-paying 21st century jobs, we need both to invest necessary resources in our schools and implement innovative strategies to transform them.”

Perdue went on to say Republicans in the General Assembly should implement reform while increasing the state's investment.