MURFREESBORO (AP) — The legislative council of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has narrowly rejected a proposal completing a split of public and private schools in the state's high school athletic group.

The council voted 5-4 Thursday against the resolution that stemmed from a proposal by Lewis County and Trousdale County in March 2014 to separate public schools into Division I and all private schools into Division II.

The TSSAA has studied a potential split since March 2014 and proposed five options last month to take effect the 2017-18 school year. The board of control will meet in September to discuss other proposals, including an urban-rural split.

Multiple media outlets also reported the council voted 7-2 to add three private school representatives both to the board of control and the legislative council.