Topeka ? A coalition Tuesday urged the Kansas Legislature to increase taxes to prevent further cuts to schools, public safety and other services, and to start repairing the damage caused by earlier budget cuts.

Thousands of Kansans with disabilities are on waiting lists for home- and community-based services, more than 500 personal attendants have lost their jobs, and more than 300 jobs have been cut at community mental health centers, officials said.

Shannon Jones, director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas, said 65 people have died while on the waiting lists.

“We find it hard to understand the total disregard for the 65 people who have died while waiting for services,” Jones said.

The cuts have hurt schools, prisons, social workers, state hospitals and many other areas, Kansans for Quality Communities officials said at a news conference.

The coalition called for a tax increase to help fill an estimated $500 million revenue shortfall as legislators return Wednesday for the wrap up session. Since last year, nearly $1 billion has been cut from the budget.

“Last year, our children felt the effects of 500 fewer professionals in their schools, even though countless studies have established a direct connection between class sizes and student achievement,” said Kathy Cook, head of Kansas Families for Education.

“Next year, the number of lost teaching positions could be in the thousands,” Cook said. “These are staggering losses. Losses our communities simply cannot bear.”

Jane Carter, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees, said the cuts to essential services “have gone too far.”

Carter added, “We are at the edge of not providing the service Kansans need and rely on.”