Unofficial results updated by the county this afternoon (Nov. 16) show the original margin of support for Measure Z, a $49.5 million bond to pay for repairs, renovations and new buildings on the Portola Valley School District's two campuses, holding steady.

Measure Z, which requires 55 percent of the vote for approval, had 1,501 votes of support (61.59 percent) and 936 votes in opposition (38.41 percent) as of Nov. 16. The lead has grown from election night.

The next vote count results will be announced at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19.

Unlike in past elections in San Mateo County in which most votes were tallied by election night, there are many thousands of votes yet to be accounted for in the county Elections Office's latest figures. Therefore, the success or failure of many ballot measures cannot be ascertained yet.

According to Jim Irizarry of the San Mateo County elections office, out of 289,169 ballots cast in the county, there were an estimated 107,249 ballots still unprocessed, or about 37.1 percent, as of the evening of Nov. 16. That figure includes all provisional, conditional and challenged ballots, he said.

But with Measure Z’s strong lead in the latest count, some supporters are optimistic that the trend will hold. “We are thrilled with early results,” wrote Anne Fazioli-Khiari, chairman of the “Yes on Z campaign, in an email on Friday, Nov. 9. “We know that there are plenty of votes still to be counted, but are encouraged by early numbers and know that our community is supportive of our schools and Measure Z.”

The bond would add a maximum of $300 per $1 million of assessed valuation to property tax bills, or $900 a year for the owner of a house valued at $3 million.

Bond revenue would go toward projects listed in a plan approved by the school board. The plan prioritizes projects into three areas: immediate, to be built if funding is available, and long-term.

The facilities plan shows immediate projects at Corte Madera School, including a new two-story classroom building, costing between $38.4 and $42.5 million. At Ormondale School, projects costing $10.9 to $12 million are included as immediate first-phase priorities.

A majority of the bond money would go to new construction, but only because some of the existing buildings are in such bad shape that it is less expensive to replace than repair them, school district Superintendent Eric Hartwig said, who is leaving the district in June. The district, which has recently had slight drops in enrollment, would not end up with more classrooms than it now has under the plan, he said.

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