The Maryland Senate voted Thursday to keep in place $10 million in the state budget to support a non-public school scholarship program.The BOOST (Broadening Options & Opportunities for Students Today) program has faced cuts in the budget recently approved by the House of Delegates.Supporters said the Senate action may best be described as a major step forward.Almost three weeks after students took their concerns to the State House, the Senate agreed to keep BOOST funds in place as part of the operating budget and strike language that would have eventually phased out the program."It's definitely encouraging, the fact that it was smooth on the Senate floor," said Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, president of the Maryland Council for American Private Education and director of Agudath Israel of Maryland-Mid-Atlantic RegionBOOST funding has helped more than 3,000 students attend 200 non-public schools in Maryland. Supporters of the program applaud the Senate for helping to keep it alive."This is a program which has been successful year in, year out for seven years now. It will be the eighth year after this budget. After this, the program will be up for applications," Sadwin said.Deputy Senate Majority Whip Cory McCray, D-District 45, said he has reasons for standing behind BOOST."I think it's very important to say I have the oldest-educating African American institution within our country right there in the 45th legislative district that I am proud of, which is St. Francis," McCray said.| RELATED: Non-public school students protest proposed budget cutsA representative for Gov. Wes Moore told 11 News that the governor continues to support public funding going to public schools. For now, the future of BOOST may lie in a bipartisan budget conference committee, which will take a closer look at the measure."That's been successful in past years, and we're hoping that there are many supporters in the conference committee that will continue to support BOOST, and hopefully, support it into the future," said Garrett O'Day, deputy director of the Maryland Catholic ConferenceLawmakers are set to hash out their differences on the budget in the coming days.| RELATED: Maryland GOP caucus pushes Right to Learn Act of 2023 | 11 TV HILL: Right to Learn Act calls on funding scholarship program