Modernization at my old high school involved a Laser disc player for every class room.
At least Internet access has potential answers to that question, even if schools are structurally unsuited to following through on them. But even with my HN-style bias, I'd rather spend money on VCRs and the remainder on sporting equipment than laserdisc players.
I was pretty young then, but I don't know that there was ever a time when laserdiscs and VCRs were even remotely cost competitive. Laserdiscs were basically ahead of their time and such technologies generally come with a huge price premium. But I could be wrong.