Former McLennan County Democratic Chairman John Cullar has withdrawn his candidacy for the Texas Senate in the wake of a Fifth Court of Appeals ruling that refused to kick his opponent Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) off the ballot. The result of Cullar's action is that Birdwell is almost certain to win a full two-year term in the Texas Senate. The Waco Tribune-Herald has more details on Cullar's decision.

Some interpreted Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's committee reshuffle as the death-knell for the Texas Local Option Transportation Act -- a bill that allows local governments to raise taxes with over approval for commuter rail and other transportation projects. That's a fair interpretation of the new order in the Texas Senate.

But this week's activity in the governor's race virtually guarantees that TLOTA will not see the light of day in 2011. Democratic candidate Bill White gave an interview to the Associated Press where he said he wouldn't rule out higher debt, or local tax hikes, to finance additional roads. Within hours of the White interview getting published, I was deluged with statements from just about every conservative group out there and the Perry campaign condemning White for endorsing a "tax hike."

In the previous entry on this blog, we highlighted a Dallas Morning News story about a study on college administrative costs. That study was a product of the Goldwater Institute and theGeorge W. Bush Institute. The study's primary author is Jay P. Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. His coauthors are Brian Kisida and Jonathan Mills. Click here to read an executive summary or download the full study.

The study concludes that -- despite increasing subsidies from government -- college administrative costs have exploded. It also states that the solutions advocated by college administrators (and their taxpayer-funded lobbyists and government relations professionals) won't solve the problem. Click here to read the study.

This morning's Dallas Morning News contains an article chronicling a study by Arkansas professor Jay Greene showing that administrative employment has grown faster than instructional employment at state universities -- especially in Texas. Click here to read the article in full. In 2003, the Legislature surrendered tuition-setting authority to appointed boards of regents. At the time, critics predicted that both tuition and administrative spending would go through the roof. Both critiques have now been borne out.

This Sunday, LSR Managing Editor William Lutz blasted Texas's school accountability ratings on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics. Lutz's objections include low passing standards for the test and the fact that students can score a zero on the test and still be credited with passing for accountability purposes. He suggests ignoring state accountability ratings and using college entrance exams and national exams instead. Lutz's commentary follows a lively discussion between Farmers Branch Mayor Tim O'Hare and Domingo Garcia on illegal immigration. Lutz's commentary starts 9 minutes into the program (about 8 minutes left in the program). Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas. We post a clip of the program below:

In writing up the reaction of state officials to passage of the Doggett amendment last night, we accidentally neglected to post the statement of Commissioner of Education Robert Scott. His statement is posted below:

 “Congress has crafted legislation that will exclusively harm Texas public schools and our teachers.  Every member of the Texas congressional delegation who supported this measure owes Texas voters an explanation as to why they are in favor of imposing punitive measures on our schools.”

The Back-To-Basics PAC, funded by plaintiff's attorney Steve Mostyn, has released another attack ad blasting Gov. Rick Perry for his veto of a property rights bill in 2007 and for his advocacy for the privatized Trans-Texas Corridor. The group has also set up a website Hands Off Our Land, to highlight problems with Perry's property rights record. We post the ad below:

House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) blasted Congressional Democrats for trying to hamstring the state budget by singling out Texas in education jobs bill.

“I am very concerned about the flawed legislation passed in the United States Senate that unfairly targets Texas, punishes our kids and teachers, and attempts to micro-manage Texas schools from Washington, D.C.," Straus said. "I call on members of the Texas congressional delegation to work to protect Texas, and especially our school children, by removing this provision and refraining from imposing Washington mandates on Texas schools.”

Sen. Brian Birdwell's (R-Granbury) campaign office got back to us a few minutes ago with a statement on the lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party questioning his eligibility to serve in the Texas Senate. Birdwell's statement reads as follows: