Canyons is mourning the passing of a founding administrator who was known nationally for her commitment to building connections between the classroom and college- and career-readiness.
Janet Goble, who had served as the District’s Director of Career and Technical Education since Canyons’ inaugural 2009-2010 school year, died Sunday, Feb. 15 after valiant battle with cancer. As one of the first 100 employees hired in Canyons District, Goble helped develop and maintain CTE programs and pathways that are regularly ranked among Utah’s best.
“Janet believed in Canyons District’s CTE program with her whole heart and soul. From Canyons’ very first days, she carefully and strategically created career-focused opportunities for an entire generation of Canyons students,” said Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins, who also lauded Goble’s dual role from 2020 to 2021 as both the CTE department director and acting principal of Canyons District’s Career and Technical Education Center.
“Janet opened doors, built pathways, and believed in the promise of every student,” Dr. Robins said. “Her gentle, kind and dedicated leadership in CTE shaped the futures of so many students. Her legacy will continue with every pathway that our schools have put into place to guide students to success far beyond high school.”
Goble, who earned degrees from the University of Wyoming and the University of Utah, was a classroom educator before becoming the Business Education Specialist at the Utah State Office of Education. From that post, she joined Canyons. In Goble, CSD had a true advocate for K-12 programs in skilled trades, technology, healthcare, business and other workforce fields. In addition, she was a major proponent of CSD’s Career and Technical Education Student Organizations, which regularly won state, regional and national honors.
Goble, the 2020 Utah CTE Administrator of the Year, also was relentless in ensuring that under-represented students had access to vocational training. Her legacy in career and technical education for Canyons students will continue at the new Canyons Innovation Center, CSD’s still-in-development technical-training center to be housed at eBay’s former Draper headquarters.
Goble’s influence extended nationally during her tenure at CSD. Not only did she serve as the National Administration Division Vice President of the Association for Career and Technical Education, Goble was chosen to testify in 2017 to a Congressional panel about the importance of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which each year provides more than $1 billion in federal funds to support secondary and post-secondary CTE education programs.
Goble testified alongside Mike Rowe, the host of TV’s “Dirty Jobs,” who regularly advocates for skilled trades, vocational education, and closing the “skills gap.”
“Business partnerships are a key component of our program of study efforts and support real-world learning experiences for our students,” Goble said in her testimony to a House Education and Workforce subcommittee. “Through their interactions with industry professionals, students realize their coursework is relevant, and, in fact, does translate into meaningful career skills and job opportunities.”
Canyons Board of Education President Amber Shill praised Goble’s dedication to CSD students, teachers, and Education Support Professionals, as well as the resilience she showed throughout her illness. The Canyons Board of Education and Administration express condolences to Goble’s family, friends, and colleagues in schools across CSD and the state. “Year after year, since the founding of our District, Janet was at the forefront of making sure job-readiness remained a foundational element of Canyons’ mission and vision,” Shill said. “Janet has showed us all what grace and courage truly look like. Her memory will live on in the countless Canyons students who will graduate high school ready to succeed in the workplace, become leaders in their industries and communities, and strengthen the economic foundation of the state.”
