Kid going to K - what school?

I live and work in a small town. We have 3 elementary schools (2 public, 1 independent). My daughter will be going to school next September and it’s time to start thinking about registrations.

We live in the catchment area for one public school, but not the one I work at. The school I work at offers French Immersion, for which catchment doesn’t matter. The independent school has a priority registration list and we’d be near the bottom.

I’ve been assured that my child would have a space at the school I work at, so that is not my primary concern. What I’m stuck on (as a teacher) is seeing the dynamics of the classes coming in and what that can and does do for students learning and skill development.

The last two kindergarten classes had an ECE in the class, and an EA assigned to be shared by multiple students with needs but not designated. This year the ECE was dropped and the single EA in the room is not enough for the needs so our school is pulling others from other roles. This group hasn’t even gotten to full days yet and they are being stretched to their limits with behaviours. There are more than a handful not toilet trained, multiple non verbal, and ones with known needs but no designation YET. I’m concerned about my colleagues in that class - and I can’t help but think about the fact that learning will not follow a typical progression in that group for years to come.

The French Immersion stream is something I’ve been interested in, but it has low registration and classes are being combined for 3 or more grade levels, teachers retire and replacing them is near impossible, and it always seems the district is one step away from cutting the program. There is also next to no support for learning differences, and I already felt before having kids that I was not a proponent of their teaching styles or how learning progressed through the primary years.

There are obvious benefits to my child going to my school - transport and pick-up/drop-off ease being the main one.

The independent school has a recognized, experienced kindergarten teacher, but it is often viewed by others as being elitist and that those parents who want to avoid bad influences go there. Many of my friends and daycare families are registered there, often with siblings already in the school.

I am all for children learning that all students matter and that fair doesn’t always mean equal, and that learning and behavioural needs aren’t to be avoided - but I’m worried about the point at which learning no longer happens given the quantity of the needs factored by the lack of support.

As a public education teacher I am fighting a battle of should I be supporting public education and showing that I trust the system, or aiming for a good start for my child?

What advice do you have about making this choice?