Lead Hill, Ark., -- The Lead Hill school district's story is lot like the one Cindy Cope reads to her first grade class.

Lead Hill is the mouse.

"We got down to 359 students earlier this year," says Superintendent Bobby Gray.

The Arkansas Board of Education is the bear, hungry for the mouse's strawberry. In this case, it's hungry to consolidate the district if its enrollment drops below 350 students.

"We just want what's best for our students," Cope tells us.

Lead Hill doesn't think consolidating it small numbers will benefit its students.

"You do get on a more personal note with the families; you keep in touch and it's more family-based, small school, small community, it's definitely a good thing."

Cope says having a job she loves is a good thing too.

"We roughly have 70 employees here. If we consolidated I'd venture to say a small percentage, less than a third, would even have an opportunity for a job in that hosting district."

Gray says jobs are the primary reason there's a problem in the first place.

Tourists travel to Lead Hill in abundance but the tight economy and lack of job opportunities here has made permanent residents scarce.

Gray hopes even if the numbers don't improve, a study by the state legislature will prove they are worth keeping around.

"We're talking people, children, their future education, not numbers," Gray said.

That's Lead Hill's perfect ending; the mouse keeps the strawberry all to himself.

Gray says lead hill is well on its way to make that ending a reality; two years ago the district was considered in financial distress by the state. Today it's iin the clear and enrolllment is climbing back towards the goal of 380 students.