Rocky View Schools announced the new operating budget for the 2016/2017 school year at Thursday's (June 2) board meeting.

$250 million has been approved to cover all costs, including the addition of 32 full time teachers in K-8/9, and 13 high school teachers.

Colleen Munro, RVS Chair, said the budget may not be perfect but it is the best budget RVS could expect.

"I think given the economic situation in Alberta it is the best possible budget a school board could expect."

Over the past five years, Munro said that RVS has experienced significant growth, increasing by over 20 per cent.

"For Rocky View, growth is being funded. Our administration team is forecasting that we are going to grow by another 881 students in September and that is huge for us."

The budget's top priorities include direct classroom instruction, school based services for inclusive learning, specialized services for complex need students, and continued support for literacy, numeracy, and 21st century skills.

Due to the ballooning of varied students requiring multiple levels of support, Munro said it is a constant challenge in the classroom to meet the needs of children with different emotional and social spectrum's.

"A multi-disciplinary team is ancillary professionals, speech pathologists, behaviour specialists all those real hands-on professionals that can help these kids in the classroom and help the learning that happens for all the kids in the classroom."

To ensure hands on needs are met, $600,000 has been added for the Inclusive Education Programming for a second multidisciplinary support team to handle the needs of complex students.

With challenges and pressures continuing to be felt, Munro said the board will need to continue to advocate for more funding due to continued growth.

"We have a new capital plan that we approved of in March and we have got schools that we are working on, but with 800+ kids coming to us next year we're going to have to keep on looking at getting new schools."

To read more on the approved budget, go to the RVS website.