So I don't know how useful this will be to you, I only just recently found out about this, but Apache Cordova is a tool that, if I understand correctly, builds native apps (i.e. iOS, Android, etc.) for different platforms based on a common description of how the app works in HTML and CSS and the like. For your case since you said you guys have iPads that may work, but you do still need to have the Apple Developer license which is $99/year.
Here's the iOS platform guide:
http://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/4....form%2 0Guide
I don't know if this will be a viable option for your team, but I thought I'd suggest it so you can at least consider it.