Personally I hate CBT - the company I work for has been trying to move to it, but I find it very hard to learn from - but I know people who like it a lot, so it's hard to give you a definite answer. See if the flight school will let you have a go and see what you think.
Going back to your first question, I would select a flight school that had good availability of the aircraft you would like to fly and instructors that were prepared to put some effort into teaching you. I also think that it's worth looking for a school that will give you the same instructor every lesson, but others disagree. If you find a school that looks good but dont use your ideal method of teaching for the written exams then I wouldn't worry much - the JAA PPL exams aren't hard and I doubt that the FAA ones are either. You can read up on the material yourself and ask your instructor questions (remember, you're looking for a school where they'll do this), and after that the CBT will be simple.
Best of luck - let us know how you're getting on. With the Texas weather you'll probably be finished before me anyway....
