Executive Director Eddie Bonine announced Tuesday that the next step in remaking Louisiana High School Athletic Association sports for next year will include downsizing playoff brackets and dividing the newly beefed-up select school divisions into equal sizes.

Bonine addressed the media Tuesday in a video conference.

Last week the LHSAA’s Executive Committee voted to move about 90 schools from non-select to select by changing the definition of select to include schools with open-admission policies, all magnet, lab and charter schools and all tuition-based schools. The move creates a nearly equal number of schools on each side of the split, with 52.1 percent of member high schools falling under the select designation.

Schools that were moved can appeal through June 21. Schools can also move back to non-select status if their parish school boards do away with open enrollment.

Next on the agenda for Bonine is selecting appropriate bracket sizes to slow the rash of teams with no or few wins qualifying for the preseason and lopsided matchups in the early rounds of the playoffs on both sides of the split.

Bonine said 16-, 24- and 32-team brackets will be considered for both select and non-select brackets. Regular-season schedules and district play will remain unchanged no matter what changes to the brackets are made.

“We have to address the brackets,” Bonine said. “You don’t need someone that hasn’t won a game, or has won three and lost 28, to be in a bracket. They don’t deserve to be there. I know I am going to get heat for it, (because) it gives kids great experiences, but I’m sorry.

“Some schools don’t make enough at the gate in these postseason events to pay the bills. This, having more balance on each side, will help solve that. We might still have some weak links.”

Bonine said having select and non-select championship events at the same venue again will be beneficial, and was not motivated by select schools making big profits from their football championship games.

“We don’t have enough officials to have separate championship events at different venues at the same time,” he said.

“On top of that, there were difficulties with some of the venues. I have had more than one person take a shot at me and take a shot at the organization, that this move was because we were jealous of the money the private schools made. They made some money in football.

“As we sit here today, softball officials and baseball officials still haven’t been paid on the select side. It became a managing issue. This is about trying to make things equitable. The Executive Committee represents all the schools.”