Long a symbol of both the potential and the pitfalls of the District’s public school system, Cardozo High School will soon undergo a massive renovation and modernization.

Mayor Vince Gray announced yesterday that the work on the school, part of the District’s broader plan to modernize its public facilities, will start in December and wrap up in August 2013. It will include everything from exterior work — the existing white security grills will be removed from windows, for starters — to an expansion of the gym. (Want an idea what the final product will look like? Look here.)

From the designs produced by architects, the final product will surely be stunning. What remains to be seen is whether or not the project can stay within its budget, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by many of the other modernization projects undertaken since 2007. According to the Post, of the 16 projects that now-City Administrator Allen Lew oversaw, 12 went over budget. Bill Turque reports that $1.1 billion was used by Mayor Adrian Fenty to modernize schools; another $1.7 billion is budgeted between 2011 and 2016.