Moore School Enrollment Drops After Tornado

Moore Public Schools enrollment numbers have fallen by about 500 students this year compared to the 2012-2013 school year. Administrators anticipated a decline after the May 20 tornado ravaged the city but they say their estimates may be off.

Not surprisingly, Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary schools make up for about half of the empty seats in the district.

"Given the devastation in the areas that those schools serve, it actually wasn't as big of a drop-off as we thought it might be," explained Jimi Fleming, Public Information Officer for the district. "We have many schools that were not affected by the storm but their students were, their families were or the teachers were and their homes. We have many teachers that lost their homes."

Fleming said the school district saw about the same decrease after the May 3, 1999 tornado, however this year's numbers may actually bounce back up.

"Traditionally after Labor Day we see an increase in enrollment," explained Fleming. "You can see as much as 500 increase after Labor Day."

They say if that increase does happen, Moore could have roughly the same number of students as they did before the tornado. That would mean the need for funding would also go up as the district tries to meet all the needs that come up in schools. The district has been coping with $55 million dollars in damage from the tornado. FEMA and insurance only covers so much, for the rest they have to rely on donations.

Fleming says the district prefers cash donations at this point so they can cover needs as they continue to pop up throughout the school year.

You can get more information on donating at www.mooreschools.com