Turnover of high-ranking officials has rattled the Marblehead and Swampscott school systems for more than a decade.

Marblehead High School will soon have its seventh principal since 2005, Swampscott High its ninth since 2002. And another change may be ahead since the latest appointment is interim.

The retention of superintendents in both municipalities isn’t much better, with six in Swampscott since 2000 and five in Marblehead since 2005.

William Dimento, a former School Committee member and teacher in Swampscott, called the high turnover rate there “overall incompetence.’’ He called the atmosphere “toxic’’ and questioned how Superintendent Pamela Angelakis could have recently spurned 52 applicants for the principal position, saying none met her vision.

“It defies reason,’’ said Dimento. “And five members of the School Committee had nothing to say?’’

Robert Murphy, the principal at Swampscott Middle School, will move up to the high school July 1, replacing another interim, Frank Kowalski.

Angelakis has acknowledged treading cautiously in light of the bombshell concerning the principal Kowalski replaced. Edward Rozmiarekresigned in December when an online sting operation allegedly caught him engaging in sexually explicit conversations on a school-issued laptop computer with a decoy he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

The scandal was not the only one that shook the community this school year under Angelakis’s watch. In September, police found sophomore football players doing jumping jacks and push-ups while naked under the direction of seniors at Blocksidge Field. Angelakis responded by canceling the next freshman and varsity games. She declined to comment for this story.

Meanwhile, Ted Delano, a member of the Swampscott School Committee, praised Angelakis’s choice of Murphy as interim Swampscott High principal.

“He has passion,’’ Delano said. “I know he will succeed. We have had a revolving door in this community, which has made a lot of residents, quite frankly, sick.’’

Searching for top administrators has become routine in the two towns. While the high turnover rate is a national trend, it takes a heavy toll on teachers, students, administrators, and parents.

Demands of the job, an era of hyper-accountability, and increased expectations “at the same time that we are seeing declining resources’’ are some reasons for the high turnover, said Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

At Marblehead High, Layne Millington surprised the town in November when he announced he would not seek to extend his contract when it expires in June. Millington will be replaced by Daniel Bauer, currently assistant principal at Beverly High.

Millington, who was one of two finalists but lost out for the principal’s job at Concord-Carlisle High School last month, was the principal of Swampscott High from 2010 to 2013, when he declined to seek a second contract. He was recruited to Marblehead by superintendent Greg Maass, who resigned in 2013 — two years into his three-year contract — because of what he called interference from the School Committee and a lack of regard for his authority.

In the ensuing strife, several School Committee members took former chairwoman EuRim Chun’s advice and resigned.

Asked to comment about leaving Marblehead, Millington referred questions to Superintendent Maryann Perry, who did not respond to calls. But he got high marks from the community.

“Layne implemented positive changes,’’ said Jennifer Schaeffner, copresident of the Marblehead High School Parents’ Council, who is running for School Committee in the May 10 town election.

“The MCAS scores went up. The [Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] report card brought us from a Level 2 status to a Level 1. He was able to reduce the absenteeism in the MCAS test, which contributed to the uptick in the scores.’’

Despite the turmoil of the past decade, there are signs in both Marblehead and Swampscott that the turnover — at least with superintendents — may be abating. Perry, who replaced Maass as Marblehead superintendent in 2013, has the support of the School Committee, which in November awarded her a four-year contract that runs until 2020.

Kathleen Leonardson, Marblehead School Committee chairwoman, said that under Perry there has been “significant progress in curriculum and assessment. It’s very impressive.’’

In Swampscott, the School Committee showed its confidence in Angelakis — who was promoted from assistant superintendent in 2013 — by giving her a five-year contract that runs until 2019.

Angelakis is a 25-year veteran of Swampscott’s school district. She succeeded Lynne Celli, who said turnover on the School Committee was key in her decision to step down.

“I’m working for my third different School Committee; there’s not one member on it that hired me,’’ Celli told the Globe in March 2013. “I think they want to look to someone who may want a vision that’s more matched with theirs.’’

Robert Murphy will be Swampscott

High School’s

9th

principal since 2002.

When Daniel Bauer takes over July 1, he will be Marblehead High School’s

7th

principal since 2005.

Bette Keva can be reached at bettewk@gmail.com.