This article analyzes the strategies used in subnational governments to implement an education policy aimed to increase high school coverage in marginalized communities of rural Mexico. Based on in-depth interviews with responsible for administering the "telebachillerato" model, findings display the implications of enacting a poorly designed policy failing to match the complex realities of the communities. We observe innovative yet insufficient ways to maneuver a policy that provides scarce funding and generates tensions between levels of government. The findings contribute to the literature about implications of poor policy design and provide evidence for education policy makers working on school coverage expansion.