Representative Pfluger Opens First Killeen Congressional Office

A Killeen ISD school building with deep roots in the city’s history is now home to the city’s first-ever U.S. Congressional office. 

On Monday, U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, representative for Texas’ 11th U.S. Congressional District, thanked Killeen ISD and the city and greater community for welcoming his staff to the Franklin and Emily Pratt Learning and Leadership Center on Jasper Drive. 

Most area residents identify the brick structure as the former Nolan Middle School. Many remember it as Nolan Junior High School, which first opened in 1961 as KISD’s second junior high school.

Today, KISD uses the building for office space, storage and for meetings as needed.

The congressional office, opened since January, occupies the administrative space at the front just inside the entrance that faces Jasper Road. 

Pfluger and KISD Interim Superintendent Megan Bradley welcomed guests and said the partnership between the school district and congressional office has been an incredible experience already.

The 44-year-old San Angelo Republican, just elected to his second term, said the Killeen office, set in a school building, is a reminder of the kind of service that public schools, the federal government and the military share.

The congressman said the space was “something much bigger than the name on the door. The name on the door is the least important part,” he said.

“I’m so happy to see the congressional seal on the building,” said Bradley.

She said the office, alongside Clifton Park Elementary School, would allow students a chance for up-close lessons in government.

Bradley called the building a resource center for the public and Pfluger reminded audience members that the office is not about politics.

All members of the public are welcome and encouraged to visit the congressional office.

There are no partisan lines when it comes to understanding issues related to Veterans benefits, the IRS and many other issues, he pointed out.

“Using a building built for education represents why we do what we do,” he said. “We believe in the next generation.”

The congressman presented the school district with a collection of children’s books related to government that were once in the Library of Congress to occupy the library at the Pratt Learning Center.

Pfluger said he would tell the story of Killeen and Fort Hood often in Washington, D.C.

“There is a legacy of service here,” he said. “The legacy from this community has kept our country safe and free.”

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Pfluger served in active duty 20 years, was a fighter pilot and retired as a colonel.

“Please let the community know this is for them,” he said of the congressional office. His next closest district office is in Brownwood.

Running the Killeen office day-to-day is Cayssia David. Both her parents served in the U.S. Army, and she lived at Fort Hood as a young child in the 1980s. David is also a double Gold Star Family member. Her father and husband both passed away in service to the military.

David said she finds her work rewarding because she helps people navigate complicated government pathways.

She was also an elementary teacher 10 years in the schools near Fort Benning, Georgia. “I feel at home in a school building,” David said.

Pfluger’s Killeen office is located at 505 E. Jasper Drive in the Pratt Learning and Leadership Center.