GOSHEN — Goshen Board of School Trustees members Monday voted unanimously to approve a controversial 2012-13 school calendar despite some negative feedback from several community members.

Included among the bigger changes listed in the approved calendar is an earlier start and later ending to the school year, the addition of a full week of fall break, and an extension of spring break by an additional three days.

During the 2011-12 school year, students returned for their first day of class on Aug. 17. Under the 2012-13 calendar they will return on Aug. 10.

In explaining the reasoning behind the earlier start date, members of the calendar selection committee indicated their decision revolved primarily around the corporation’s desire to end the first semester before students break for Christmas, rather than requiring the students to return from their break still needing to finish their finals.

Under the change to fall break, the newly approved calendar gives students the entire week of Oct. 15-19 off for fall break. That’s a significant change from the 2011-12 calendar, where students started fall break on Friday, Oct. 21, and returned back to school on Tuesday, Oct. 25, effectively giving them two weekdays off plus the weekend.

As for the three days added to spring break, committee members indicated this change stemmed primarily from the desire to support the corporation’s popular Marine Biology trip without requiring participating students to miss any school days. Students in the past often had to miss several days of school due to the trip requiring students to leave several days before their spring break officially began.

While the board voted unanimously to approve the new calendar, several members of the community attended Monday’s board meeting to voice their disapproval over its passage.

Among those to voice displeasure over the new calendar was Valarie Mann, a mother of two GCS students heavily involved in the corporation’s music program. During her time to speak, Mann indicated her fear that the new calendar would negatively impact the school’s music and sports programs by interfering with regularly scheduled events such as band and sports camps and competitions.

“For a majority of the kids, and a majority of the families, I think this is a mistake,” Mann said.

Also speaking against the calendar was Andrea Johnson, Goshen, who indicated her biggest problem centered around the earlier start to the school year.

“It’s a big deal to take a week off the end of summer,” Johnson said.

In addition, Johnson noted her concern with what she felt was the board’s attempt to pass the calendar without proper input from the community.

“It was done very, very quietly,” Johnson said of the calendar’s initial presentation to the public during the board’s Jan. 23 meeting, where very few members of the public were in attendance. In light of that fact, Johnson requested that the board delay the vote to allow more members of the community to weigh in on the proposed changes.

Still others in the audience voiced concerns that the new calendar was simply a way for the corporation to work its way toward a year-round calendar, though the board vehemently denied this accusation.

On the flip side, several GCS teachers and members of the administration also took time Monday to speak in favor of the proposed changes, citing issues such as the increased workload on both teachers and students in today’s school environment requiring more time off to recuperate.

“School has changed tremendously in the last 15 years,” said Chamberlain Elementary School Principal Don Jantzi, adding that both the workload and complexity of that workload have increased dramatically over curriculum administered to students only a few years ago. “They’re going to need breaks more often.”

In the end, board members elected to go with the recommendation of the calendar selection committee and approved the calendar with a vote of seven to zero in favor of its passage.

More laptops

In other action, Deputy Superintendent Diane Woodworth received permission from the board to advertise for the next wave of computers connected to the corporation’s recently implemented 1-to-1 computer program that places laptops in the hands of all of its incoming freshmen.

During her presentation, Woodworth noted that in light of the recent surge in popularity of iPad-type devices, the corporation is keeping an open mind when it comes to future technology options for the students. However, at this time Woodworth said laptops still appear to be the best option for the corporation given its current curriculum.

As such, Woodworth said advertising dates have been set for Feb. 15 and 22, with bids set to open on March 6.