as governor, perdue led reforms designed to cut waste in government, most notably the sale of surplus vehicles and real estate. he helped georgia moved up from last place in the country in sat scores. although it returned to last place in 2005, georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion added to the test that year. perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. in 2006, perdue signed a law that gave georgia "some of the nation's toughest measures against illegal immigration".