Lena (Sherri Saum) gets stuck in the middle of the Anchor Beach Board of Directors and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) when "The Fosters" returns for its fifth season this summer.

In the Freeform drama's season 4 finale, Mariana took the lead during a protest to stop Anchor Beach from turning in to a private school. That opposition continues next season, which puts Lena in a difficult spot since she is also the school's vice principal.

Saum recently caught up with TV Guide and she mentioned that Mariana's bold move against the school administration will threaten her career. She obviously needs her job, but she also has to show support for her own daughter. "I need to keep my job, girl! I need to keep this civil and it's getting heated," the actress explained. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

Of course, there is also the possibility of Lena being promoted as principal. Saum said it would even be better for Lena if she went up the career ladder. "She's always had to run [ideas] by the powers that be. It's thwarted a lot of her efforts," Saum further stated. "As principal, she can make a lot of these changes she wants [to] happen."

Meanwhile, viewers have noticed that AJ (Tom Williamson) was absent in the finale. Though it was speculated that his role in Callie's (Maia Mitchell) life is over, executive producer Peter Paige confirmed earlier this month that he will return next season. As for the entire Foster family, Paige revealed to Entertainment Weekly that a lot of changes can be expected in their dynamic next season.

"Season 5 is a little bit of a reset to our family, our home, and the sort of simpler and brighter and happier times that our family really needs," he teased.

The fifth season of "The Fosters" premieres Tuesday, July 11 at 8 p.m. EDT on Freeform.