The Los Altos School District's parcel tax measure received 75.16% support among ballots counted as of 9:23 p.m. on election night, well ahead of the two-thirds mark required to pass.

Measure A seeks to raise money for the Los Altos School District by levying a $295 annual tax on each parcel of land within the district's boundaries. It would last for eight years, beginning on July 1, 2024, and would replace and expand a $223 parcel tax that voters approved in 2016. The district has a separate $597 permanent parcel tax that is unaffected by this election and will stay in place.

As of 9:23 p.m. on Nov. 7, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters had counted 6,401 votes in favor and 2,116 opposed. The next set of results was set to be released at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Nearly all the votes included in the election night tally were from vote-by-mail ballots, with only 132 from election day, according to the Registrar of Voters' website. County vote centers were open for in-person voting until 8 p.m., so few election day ballots had been processed.

With the initial returns showing support over 8 percentage points above the necessary threshold, school board President Jessica Speiser told the Voice that she was feeling very good and hadn't expected such strong results.

"This is such good news," Speiser said. "The whole team of people did such great work in getting the word out. I'm so happy."

Speiser added that she was appreciative of the community for the show of support.

Measure A is expected to raise $3.7 million for the district annually. After the first year, the $295 tax would increase by 4% annually for the duration of the eight-year term.

Measure A was one of only two items on the Nov. 7 special election ballot, with the other contest to pick a governing board member for a community college district in San Jose.

The Los Altos School District operates seven elementary schools and two junior high schools, which served roughly 3,350 students last school year. While most students live in Los Altos, parts of Mountain View are also included within the district's attendance boundaries.

Parcel tax supporters argued that the measure is needed to avert budget cuts, prevent layoffs and retain teachers who might otherwise leave for higher-paying districts.

No official opposition to the measure was submitted for inclusion in the official voter guide. Bullis Charter School, which has long had a contentious relationship with the Los Altos School District, neither supported nor opposed the measure.

There was some controversy in the community over how the parcel tax proceeds would be shared with Bullis. Measure A would cap Bullis' share at $625,000 annually, unless the district and charter school agree to a higher figure. According to Speiser, $625,000 is the amount that the charter school is currently receiving from the 2016 parcel tax.

Check back for updated results as more ballots are counted.