The latest installment of "Inside the Override" is the purest example to date of how the administration misrepresents data in the hope the electorate is either too dumb or too busy. This time however they have preceded an irrelevant (albeit true) statistic with a patently false conclusion.

Regarding the impact of new apartment development over the past 10 years on school enrollment, the Mayor concludes: "The answer is simple: the new apartment complexes are not driving the increase. Only 82 students, or 2.1% of enrollment in MPS live in these 4 complexes"

Over the past 10 years enrollment has ranged from 3,679 to the current 3,945. The most generous assumption would conclude that enrollment has increased by 266 students. If 82 of these stem from these complexes then that's about 31% of the increase. My guess is if you surveyed 5-10 "drivers" of the increase, then the one that came in at 31% would likely finish at or near the top.

In short, the proper headline should have read "New complexes are a primary driver of enrollment increases" So there are two possibilities. 1) The Mayor knows this and thus the 2.1% stat was an attempt to mislead or 2) she did not know the math needed to properly determine the true drivers. Neither is very desirable.

It's #1. You know it, and I know it. Let's hope voters are smart enough to figure out it's another misrepresentation designed entirely in the hope of deceiving voters to buy into this latest boondoogle.