Perdue said Tuesday they would receive bonuses and merit pay.

Perdue spoke at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's annual "Eggs and Issues" breakfast. He said he also wants to lure new science and math teachers to the state by boosting their entry level pay to those of fifth year teachers.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle also spoke at the event, telling the audience the 40-day session should be used to balance the state budget by cutting spending.

"Let there be no mistake, my number one priority for this session is to balance this budget - not by seeking the aid of creative revenue enhancements - but by making the tough decisions to fund essential government services and cutting those that are not," Cagle said.

It was not immediately clear where the additional funds would come from. Georgia faces a budget shortfall of about $2 billion for the current fiscal year.

Perdue also says he will push legislation this session to have those who file frivolous lawsuits to compensate those they sue.