State lawmakers are taking the first steps in what could be the first major overhaul of public school funding in nearly 30 years.

After about a year of informal discussions, the Legislature will this year formally study changing the K-12 funding structure to one based on system and student population needs, according to resolutions filed last week by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville.

“There are more improved methods of funding education that have been trending across the nation that are based on student needs rather than head counts and it’s time to consider moving Alabama to such a model,” Orr told Alabama Daily News.