After more than 30 years of operation, St. Timothy's Children's Center in 'Aiea yesterday closed its doors, laying off its teachers and staff and leaving questions about its future.

The preschool stunned parents and teachers last month when it abruptly announced it was closing for an undetermined length of time for "long overdue" renovations on June 30, after which teachers and staff were to be laid off.

School board and church officials had said the preschool could reopen but that it is unclear whether it will remain under the aegis of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church or whether the church will lease the facility to an operator.

The Rev. Prof. Gregory Johnson of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, also an ex-officio member of the school's board, yesterday said the board is accepting proposals from preschool operators but that a decision has not yet been made about whether an outside operator will manage the school. He said at least one organization submitted a proposal.

Johnson has said about 80 students were on the planned enrollment list for the coming school year and that the preschool had a staff of 18.

Kama'aina Kids, which had been providing some substitute staff to the preschool over the last few weeks when some St. Timothy's Children's Center staffers took vacation, submitted a proposal to the church board, said president Raymond Sanborn.

In a letter dated June 20, Sanborn said Kama'aina Kids would be willing to invest up to $100,000 toward the renovations and proposed to reopen the school in January. Sanborn yesterday said the reopening date was just an estimate based on a meeting he had with one of the church board members and the school director a couple of weeks after the closure announcement.

In the meantime, two parents whose children were supposed to attend St. Timothy's in the coming year are moving forward on opening their own preschool in 'Aiea to help fill the need.

Cheryl Cudiamat said she and her husband, Jeoffrey, plan to sublease some classrooms at the Wayland Baptist University learning annex in the 'Aiea commercial center and hope to open a preschool there in August called Keiki Care Center of Hawaii Inc. She said they were finalizing documents for licensing with the state Department of Human Services and began moving on plans after St. Timothy's announced it would close.

Cudiamat, who runs an engineering and architectural design firm with her husband, said they plan to hire several teachers from St. Timothy's. Two veteran teachers from the school yesterday said they will work for Cudiamat.

For many parents and teachers, yesterday's closure capped a tumultuous period for the school.

The closure announcement came just weeks after a group of parents and staff filed separate grievances to the school board of directors and the church vestry expressing concerns about the management of the school under director Dianne Lim. At least some parents and staff said they believe the closure was a way for the board and the vestry to avoid dealing with concerns.

The parents' grievance filed in May asked the board for an investigation into Lim's management, including what they felt was poor communication and a lack of response to parents' concerns. They were also upset that the school's accreditation expired.

The staff's grievance, also filed in May, included concerns about insufficient communication and the lapse of accreditation. Some teachers yesterday said some longtime staffers resigned during the past school year, which was unusual.

Lim yesterday did not respond to requests for comment. Board president Dr. Edmund Whang could not be reached for comment.

Johnson said the grievances happened to be filed at the same time that the board was deciding whether the summer interim — less than a month — would be enough time to complete renovations.

"I could see why someone might be misled to think that the closing was due to other reasons, but the reason the school closed is to be able to take care of these necessary renovations," Johnson said. He said the renovations include upgrading the bathrooms, repainting and improving the grounds and interiors of the facility.

Dan Nelson, who was St. Timothy's vestry buildings and grounds chairperson from January through April, and Carolyn Kargol, a former St. Timothy's Children's Center board member who said she was removed from the board in April, said there had been no discussions about major renovations when they were on their respective boards.

Johnson said the board began discussions regarding renovations in May.

Kathy Murphy, executive director of the Hawai'i affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, said the Hawai'i organization worked with St. Timothy's on renewing its accreditation with the NAEYC and that during that process there were indications of a lack of communication between the administration and the staff and parents.

The preschool eventually decided not to pursue reaccreditation, Murphy said.

"It's really sad that a program of that caliber shut down," she said. "I think that's one of the hardest things for all of us in the early childhood community, the fact that it was one of our top programs."