Hampton City Schools hailed by Forbes; superintendent and base deputy describe deepening ties with Joint Base Langley-Eustis

Hampton City Schools said Forbes named the district one of America’s Best In-State Employers for 2025 and used the designation to spotlight supports for staff and the district’s partnership with Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

Superintendent Raymond Haynes opened an episode of the district’s HCS Talks podcast saying the division emphasizes "competitive pay, great benefits, and we even have our own employee health and wellness center and pharmacy," and urged listeners to "stay tuned" for more on the district’s work.

The episode’s guest, Colonel Steven Dillenberger, described the base–school relationship as a five-part partnership that stabilizes military families during frequent moves, supports service-member readiness by helping families, strengthens community ties, and creates opportunities for students and staff. "We have about 600 dependents of military members attending schools within Hampton City, and then about 1,700 military-connected" students overall, Dillenberger said.

Dillenberger also pointed to district recognition for military-friendly practices, saying the division has "about 16 Purple Star–designated schools," a state-level recognition for schools that demonstrate support for military children.

The conversation highlighted recent joint activities. Dillenberger described April’s Month of the Military Child programming and a Langley "take your kid to work" day that exposed students to STEM and base missions, and he credited Hampton teachers and staff for amplifying those outreach efforts. He singled out a STEM Expo that brought many Hampton school buses to the base and allowed students to participate in hands‑on activities.

On workforce pathways, Dillenberger said 19 Hampton students worked at base worksites last summer through the City of Hampton’s youth employment program and that the base requested 60 student placements for the coming season across roles from the youth center and daycare to lifeguarding, library and pharmacy lab positions.

Looking ahead, the base will hold a JBLE Serves Day on June 6 focused on community service projects in Hampton. Dillenberger framed such events as ways to "give back a little bit to the community" and to bolster ties between the base and local residents.

Haynes closed the episode by thanking Dillenberger for his service and partnership with the district, and by encouraging listeners to subscribe to HCS Talks for future episodes.

The episode paired the Forbes recognition announcement with discussion of concrete supports for military-connected students — enrollment figures, Purple Star designations, youth employment and joint events — but it did not record any formal agreements, budget votes or new policy adoptions during the conversation.