Gov. Janet Mills announced plans on Tuesday to improve school bus safety in the aftermath of a pair of deadly incidents last year in which students were hit and killed by school buses.

Mills will propose $4.3 million in her supplemental budget package this spring to pay for enhanced safety measures, including retrofitting Maine school buses with crossing arms and anti-pinch door sensors.

She has also signed an executive order to establish the Maine School Transportation Safety Commission, which will review statutes and rules regarding school bus safety. The commission will identify improvements that can be made to school transportation rules.

The governor’s plans come after 12-year-old Brayden Callahan was hit and killed in a crosswalk in front of a school bus in Rockland on Nov. 21. Weeks later, 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez was killed when a bus door closed on his arm and he was dragged along a road in Standish.

“The unimaginable tragedies that occurred last year demand action to ensure that every student in Maine is safe traveling to school,” Mills said in a written statement. “By committing funding to retrofit school buses with enhanced safety measures and creating this commission to study what more can be done, we are taking steps to prevent further tragedies.”

The funding in the supplemental budget, if approved by the Maine Legislature, would cover retrofitting nearly 1,700 buses owned by Maine school districts that are not equipped with the necessary safety gear.

The commission, which will include representatives from the Maine Department of Education, Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, Maine School Safety Center, local school districts and others, is charged with making recommendations to the governor and Legislature by April 30.  

School bus fatalities are extremely rare. Prior to November, five children had died while getting on or off of a school bus in Maine in the last 55 years. The recent back-to-back incidents, however, have put a spotlight on student safety and led to calls for school and state officials to do more.

In a written statement Tuesday, Eileen King, executive director of the Maine School Superintendents Association, expressed support for Mills’ proposal.

“”Student safety is the number one priority for every Maine school leader,” King said. “Retrofitting of crossing arms and anti-pinch door sensors on all school buses will ensure that our families and students feel safer when they head to class every day. We look forward to further working with state leaders on additional steps to improve student safety.”