The last meeting of 91原创 school trustees before the election was drawing to a close Tuesday night (Nov. 8) when chairperson Rob McFarlane made a surprise announcement.

If he is re-elected, McFarlane said he plans to lobby the new Board of Education to take a second look at the controversial decision to swap some school land in the Routley neighbourhood for a site in Yorkson, something that he said has left a large area with no school at all.

It is time, McFarlane said, to "review and reconsider" that decision.

Afterwards, McFarlane confirmed he had voted for the land swap originally.

"A lot has changed since that time," he said.

It appears to be the first public change of position by a trustee since the battle erupted over the land swap earlier this year.

As unanimously approved by the trustees, the deal calls for the school site in the Routley neighbourhood to become a park, while adjacent parkland would become a townhouse development.

In return, the school district will get property to build a school in the Yorkson neighbourhood of Willoughby.

McFarlane's announcement follows news the board successfully lobbied the provincial government to build two brand-new schools, neither of them in Routley.

Premier Christy Clark announced an estimated $50 million in funding for the two new 91原创 schools in Willoughby, including the purchase of land for one of them.

It was part of a $353 million package for the fastest-growing B.C. school districts.

At the Clark press conference, the then-chair of the 91原创 Board of Education,  Stacey Cody, and superintendent Cheryle Beaumont told The Times the district has been working hard to get funding for the new schools for about five years.

A spokesman for the Routely parents, Pete Pretorius, said it would have been nice if the district had devoted some of that time and effort to getting a school for Routley.

鈥淪omeone just said [to Routley] you鈥檙e not worthy,鈥� Pretorius said.

鈥淒id we do something wrong that we deserved to be punished?鈥�