A Kansas University panel has given its approval to a new calendar with four fewer academic days in the school year.

The calendar changes would go into effect for the 2011-12 school year.

Under the proposal, the spring semester would always begin the day after Martin Luther King Day, fall break would be moved to a Monday and Tuesday, and winter break would be slightly longer — a full five weeks off.

The University Senate Executive Committee chose to forward the recommendation along to the full senate, where, if approved, would go to university administrators for final approval.

The panel opted against forwarding a second option that would have extended the Thanksgiving break into a full week and eliminated Stop Day, a day off on Friday before a week of finals.