SALEM - With childhood obesity at record levels, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and others are pushing to require that students take a minimum number of hours of physical education classes each week.

But state School Superintendent Susan Castillo and other education advocates say boosting physical education requirements - though a good idea - could create hardships for school districts already struggling with tight budgets.

Courtney has introduced a bill that would have elementary school students sweating 2.5 hours each week, while middle school students would attend a minimum of 3.75 hours of physical education a week.

Courtney said there are currently no time requirements in Oregon for physical education and that the amount offered at Oregon's schools is "all over the board."

Courtney, a runner, said the bill is important because research shows that healthy, active children do better in school.

"A healthy body, healthy mind," Courtney said.

Courtney also said he was alarmed to learn that a Baylor College of Medicine study concluded that, because of childhood obesity, parents can enjoy a greater life expectancy than their children.

While gym class used to be a staple in public school, slim budget years meant cuts to art, music and physical education. Obesity risk in Oregon's adolescents has inched up in the last few years, while PE class attendance is declining.

From 2001 to 2003, the number of eighth-graders who attended gym class dropped 10 percent, according to the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.

Senators and more than 30 groups, including the American Heart Association and Nike, have lined up in support of Senate Bill 228.

John Valley, state advocacy director for the American Heart Association, said the bill allows schools to be flexible, while assuring parents that their children are physically active.

The measure is a priority for the organization because physical activity decreases obesity and can help students learn to incorporate activity into their daily lives, Valley said.

But Castillo is hesitant to give her endorsement.

"We absolutely need to address the physical activity level of students," Castillo said, but she worries about "unintended consequences" for budget-strained schools.

If the bill passes, Castillo said school districts might have to cut teachers in academic subjects to add more full-time gym teachers.

"We are working with the advocates and trying to work on language that will work for everybody," Castillo said.

Courtney said he knows schools need more money, but physical activity should be a higher priority than it is now.

He said health is "so positive and so powerful that money shouldn't be the issue," but he knows funding likely will be a contentious factor that could kill the bill.

Courtney said the bill probably will pass in the Senate but he's uncertain about its fate in the Republican-controlled House.