ELECTION RESULTS: Measure P

UPDATE 11:14 P.M.: Measure P appears to have lost with 53.36 percent of the votes against the measure.

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In the San Mateo-Foster City School District there are dueling campaigns for and against a $130 million bond to address overcrowding at San Mateo and Foster City schools by rebuilding and renovating classrooms.

Measure P is a push to relieve overcrowding in schools that were built for 300 students that now serve more than 500 students. The proposal focuses on repairs and rebuilding efforts at Knolls Elementary School in San Mateo and Bowditch Middle School in Foster City.

Proponents of the bond claim the money will also help the school district upgrade technology and electricity systems at schools, and provide better facilities for a larger campus population.

At Bowditch, bond monies would go to adding a fifth grade to the middle school in what supporters call an "innovative two-campus-in-one" design in a brand-new building.

Knolls Elementary School has sat shuttered but would be able to re-open with the funding to relieve overcrowding at other San Mateo schools, supporters say.

The "Yes on P" campaign has the support of state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and San Mateo County Supervisor Carole Groom, among other elected representatives and local agencies.

School district board of trustee member Ellen Ulrich is behind the "No on P" campaign and hopes to bring the plans for a school bond back to the drawing board.

"It's heavily skewed to one part of the community," Ulrich said. She said the measure supports more upgrades in Foster City, and the money will not be evenly distributed based on population.

About 30 percent of the district resides in Foster City, with the rest in San Mateo, according to Ulrich. "This bond measure is not well put together," she said, but noted that "doesn't mean that the entire community can't come up with a better plan."

She said a prior school bond measure, Measure L, which passed with more than 75 percent support in 2008, was divided equitably between the population centers.

The opposition has gained the support of San Mateo Mayor David Lim and Deputy Mayor Robert Ross, according to Ulrich. "It's not about wanting these two communities to be divided," she said, instead it should be about improving "antiquated classrooms and facilities."

The measure requires 55 percent approval to pass.

San Mateo Patch will update the results live Tuesday night. Refresh this page for the latest results.